No shirts, no shoes, and a few big problems
by Mazereader
Summary: ya know how everyone writes something like 'Jim wishes he could change the dress code... to something more revealing well here it is, the enterprise gets a new dress code... now with plot, and some wierd extra's and M abd fewer speling mistakes...
1. It's gettin' hot in here

**Disclaimed.** _also I think you should know that this story struck me in the middle of the night when I wasn't sleeping because my air conditioning broke a few days ago,_

_it was suppose to be a short story_

_Kirk (with input from Spock) decided it needed to be much longer...I have no idea how this came out of it. I am also not entirely sure where it's going give me some imput...REVIEW please._

No shoes No shirts No big,

Everyone always mentions how Kirk would like to change the dress code to… be a little more liberating, so here it is.

"Scotty, tell me you've started to fix this…" Kirk's called in his usual good cheer.

"Fixed it capt'n, I doona even know what is wrong, as far as I can tell she should be in perfect working order."

Kirk, who was lounging spread eagle in his chair (in a way no captain naturally would, as his pose was far more sexual then commanding) grimaced. That was about what he had expected, and what he was hoping not to hear.

"A perfectly functional ship does not explain the continually rising ambient temperature." Spock cut in.

Kirk just shook his head, out of all of them Spock was handling this unexpected heat wave with the most ease, but that was to be expected. One he was Vulcan higher temperatures were the norm and two he was Vulcan, he'd rather chew his own arm of then admit to discomfort. Not so with the rest of his bridge crew.

Sulu had given up piloting in favor of dozing on his consol. Chekov was rewiring his station to create a mini fan and Uhura, well, she was busy adding stylish adjustments to her uniform, namely cutting huge sections off. Had it not been so ungodly hot she would have had quiet an audience.

Kirk for one didn't really mind. He loved the heat; it made him feel lazy and sexual however, he understood that these feelings weren't exactly conducive to running a starship.

"Just get it fixed Scotty, I've got faith in you. Kirk out."

"Captain, if the heat continues to rise at its current rate, even with only essential the crew at their stations, it is only a matter of time before serious health related problems are noticed throughout the ship."

Kirk sat up slightly and nodded, but before he could speak an extremely irritated doctor charged his way through the lift doors, making his displeasure known.

"God damnit, Jim, I'm a doctor not some cold-blooded Vulcan reptile who loves basking in the heat…"

"Doctor Vulcans are not 'cold-blooded' as their natural temperature runs much higher…"

McCoy cut him off, "It was a joke man, a bad one but get over it. We have bigger problems,"

"Hi Bones, nice to see you to, would you like a seat or some coffee, I think Chekov could find you a blanket if you were uncomfortable…" Jim added sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Don't you play with me kid. This heat is a serious problem."

"Yeah Bones, that's why I'm working on it, that's why we've practically stopped and powered down to the bare minimum, that's why the entire engine crew is out and about searching for the tiniest clue…So if that's not good enough Bones I don't know what else I can do."

Bones frowned and nodded. "Listen, Jim any hotter at all and we're goin' start to see problems, I'm talkin' serious injuries."

"You know, Spock was just saying that. Are you two like connected? Been reading minds lately Bones?" Jim joked as he took a moment to ineffectively reposition himself.

"Damnit this is no time for Jokes. Make a ship wide announcement, Ice and water breaks for everyone and Jim, you've got to do something about these uniforms."

Jim actually sat up and looked at his Chief Medical Officer. "Hang on Bones, I get the ice runs, I'll send an announcement in a sec, but the uniforms, what about them?"

"Captain, I believe the doctor is, in his own manner, trying to suggest, that star fleet issued uniforms were meant to contain heat not release it. Thus wearing such uniforms in an overly heated star ship is inadvisable. "

"Come on Jim, you're always talkin' about changing the dress code, here's a legitimate reason to do it."

"Ok, how do you suggest we change it, I mean guys can go without shirts, and we can adjust the replicators to make some shorts…"

"Captain, if I may," Uhura walked over. Her point becoming immediately clear. "I can offer the female crew advice on how to make their uniforms, cooler." Uhura was wearing the original Star Fleet issue skirt which almost all female personal had given up after the first or third actual mission. (Jim may or may not have inadvertently ordered that all women trade up their skirts for pants when he made a point to angrily announce to the whole ship that no one should have died on that first mission, but the natives hadn't like the concept of uniforms and some female lieutenant had accidentally gotten her skirt caught on something which had caused her to fall behind and to Jim's eternal regret, she had died.)

The skirt was hiked way up, and she certainly wasn't wearing pants. Her top had been carefully cut, the sleeves trimmed off, the bottom cut nearly four inches up revealing her midriff. On her it looked good (Smokin' in Jim's humble opinion), but more than that it was a practical way to keep the heat down.

Jim nodded grinning, "I'll start and then you can give the ladies the lesson on dressing, kay?"

Uhura nodded grinning a rather pleased with herself smirk. She walked over to her station.

"Be ready to put me on in five." Jim called, and then turned to his first officer and Doctor. "Alright, you two come with me we'll be the first to get changed, then we'll send Chekov and Sulu. Sulu you have the con."

"Why in Hell do I have to come?" Bones gripped as he followed Jim to the nearest replicator.

"Cause you are the Chief Medical Officer, Bones, you need to get on after me and tell my crew how to protect themselves from heat stroke, and you need to tell them the symptoms of that and any other crazy heat induced illness you can think of…" upon thinking about how long that would take Jim nodded to himself and said to the others "And you can go last."

"Captain, I must inform you that as a Vulcan, my system is far better adapted to this temperature and requires no cooling to maintain optimal function…"

"Spock," Jim said turning to him and cutting him off. "Would taking your shirt off make you uncomfortably cool?"

"No,"

"Is there any reason other than modesty that would prevent you from taking off your clothes?"

"Captain, I …"

"Damnit, it's Jim, and it's a yes or no question."

Spock looked like he would have sighed, had he been a weaker man but rather he turned slightly and straightened. Putting his hands behind his back he resumed his standard 'at ease position'. "No."

"Then you're doing it, if you really want you can keep your pants but the shirt comes off, come to think of it shoes are only good for keeping feet warm and protecting them, anyone not in engineering will have to take those off as well…"

"But Captain…"

"It's Jim, Spock and I'm only going to explain this once so listen up. Why do you think I'm changing first before I order my crew to do this? It's not so I can run around without my shirt" (though man, that would be awesome).

" A crew, especially ones filled with exemplary officers like this one, needs to see that their commanders are willing to do what they've ordered others to do. You are going to serve as an example for the entire science department. A lot of our crew will think they can get away with wearing their shirts till this thing is over but they can't. That will put them in danger. And I'm not willing to risk my crew's safety over some broken A.C. Got it. If they see that you will do it then they will follow. So unless you have a serious issue with this you're going to follow my orders. Got it?"

" Yes, Jim your point is most logical." Jim smirked, he could read between the lines and the look Spock was sending him was clearly Vulcan for, 'I can't see a way around this, I don't agree but I'll freakin' do it.'

Jim turned to his quarters and opened the door.

The inside wasn't as messy as Spock had imagined or McCoy had feared (he had roomed with Jim before, he knew how bad it could get), it was fairly empty. Spock stepped to the replicator without asking and began to reprogram it's features.

(not that anyone should have been able to program a single replicator from their quarters let alone effectively reprogram the entire ships, but this was Spock, and it was Jim's replicator meaning not only was the most competent person in solar system doing the reprograming, they were reprograming it on a terminal were it had already been done before.)

As soon as he finished he passed two pairs of shorts to Jim who passed a pair to Bones. "I elect to invoke you previous offer of wearing pants, however it would be beneficial for both of you to change." Vulcan for 'You got my shirt but there is no way in hell you're getting my pants, and also if you don't change you're gonna fry.'

Jim found that walking back on the bridge without a shirt was apparently distracting to others (if the open mouth gaps were anything to go by). It was more distracting because his first officer was also without a shirt and Jim was sweating more than usual coming back to the bridge.

Together these facts were, in his mind, more than a little bit scandalous and for some reason he couldn't help but wish that scandal was a little more true.

'Cause while Bones wasn't a slouch, and Jim, was pretty classically awe inspiring, Spock looked like god (in the Greek/ god of gorgeous vein). His skin was a clear handsome tone all over, and his stomach and chest, well, were just flat out sexy. His frame had always suggested lean and tall, but the muscle underneath was mouth watering, and not that Jim noticed but his nipples were just the faintest blush green and he had small dark black hairs that looked smooth to the touch trailing from just above his belly button down to the line of his star fleet issued pants where, the slightly widening line, disappeared.

Jim shook his head. It was the heat, the heat was making him slightly crazy, and maybe if he prayed real hard Santa would show up in his sleigh brining toys for the good girls and boys. Yeah right.

"Uhura, put me on." Jim said trying to sound as official as he could while trying to get over the fact he had just been checking out his First Officer's ass, (a really tight looking thing by the way that without the protection of a shirt looked like something Jim wanted to take a bite of). It was the heat, the heat…

Jim turned and faced the screen, he stood at attention, Spock just behind him on the right, McCoy just behind him on the left.

"Attention Enterprise crew, this is your captain speaking. Now I understand that we are all suffering from the effects of the malfunctioning Air Conditioners, but I need you to pay attention, under the advisement of the CMO and First officer we are temporarily instating a new dress code.

This is for your own safety and continued comfort. This will be done in two parts Gentlemen if you make your way to your nearest replicator, in shift rotation please, then you will find shorts are now available, please take a pair put them on and take your shirts off. I understand that isn't a comfortable idea but it is a necessary action. Ladies, Lieutenant Uhura will be giving you instructions on your new dress code.

This is not optional, your health depends on you keeping cool.

Additionally for all crew members not part of engineering or part of other hazardous work, you will give up wearing shoes as of right now because they are trapping in serious and unnecessary heat. After Lieutenant Uhura Chief of Medical Doctor McCoy will be instructing you on ice and water breaks as well as how to look for and identify symptoms of overheating and exhaustion. This announcement will now be transferred to the conference room, Lieutenant."

McCoy was already heading to the turbo lift as Uhura pressed a button and made to follow. Thiers would be a much longer chat with the crew, one Jim didn't need taking place in front of him while he tried to run a ship.

"Sulu, Chekov…everybody else, get to it." The few remaining bridge members made their way to the lift to start implementing the new dress code.

Alpha shift ended and everyone sighed, 3 ice breaks and a constant supply of water did little to ease the overwhelming heat. Jim let out a huge sigh as he waited for the lift with Spock. Still nothing and literally it was nothing, they weren't going anywhere doing anything until this was fixed the nearest star base was 10 hours away on max warp.

Seriously this day couldn't get any worse.

Jim wasn't thinking clearly as he stepped onto the lift but the minute the doors shut his full undivided attention zeroed in on the tall half naked Vulcan standing across from him.

Honestly life should not be that unfair. Spock looked better than anything or anyone Jim had ever seen, and it wasn't like he was smiling or flirting he was just standing in his usual stiff formal pose. Of course it was probably impossible to look formal when you weren't wearing a shirt. Spock looked so good with his shirt off Jim honest thought about ordering him never to put it back on.

Then he noticed it.

The lift was hot. More so then the rest of the ship, trapped in a tiny space with a man whose normal temperature was close to boiling…Jim could suddenly feel each drop of sweat as it arched its way down his chest.

It was getting hard to breath in the best possible way.

Jim loved the heat, in his youth he'd spent a particularly unpleasant time in a place he didn't like to talk about. Sure, he'd been hungry but when you were hungry really hungry like Jim had been you were also always cold and Jim hated the cold, going back to Iowa winters had been hard, being marooned on a ice pit of a planet had been hard, but warmth there was nothing better, and right now Spock was like a fireball in an oven.

Jim couldn't see but Spock was holding his breath. An illogical action you might think, but when the alternative was smelling... breathing in that smell... well, you would agree it was most the most logical decission.

The smell wasn't bad, quiet to the contrary Spock feared it might prove addictive. Spock had thought nothing of sharing a lift with his Captain, they did it all the time but this time the moment the doors of the lift had closed Spock had been bombarded with that Scent.

The scent was no mystery, however. It was Jim, the scent was his captain's and it smelled like nirvana. Jim had been sweating, a natural response for humans experiencing an overload of heat, but that meant Jim's odor was stronger.

Spock had always known that Jim smelled…that his scent was pleasant, small wafts here and there confirmed this, like everything about Jim; from his startling blue eyes, to his lean muscular human build to his beautifully smirking smile, Jim's scent was… appealing.

But in small doses none of this mattered, Spock's control was more than a match for it, but here and now Jim's scent was over powering, like apples and wind and mystery it was more than Spock could bare.

So he held his breath.

Then he noticed Jim's breathing. The Captain had pressed himself against the lift wall as if he were about to fall, he was panting and his heart rate was accelerating too quickly to be normal.

The lift opened and Spock leaned out his hand to catch Jim as he fell through the door.

"Captain…you are overheated, ridding in the lift with me was…"

Jim laughed it was a gorgeous soul touching laugh the kind that always stopped the Vulcan right in his tracks.

Jim wanted to kick himself, really? Really? This had to be proof the universe was out to get him, the biggest turn on in his entire life had been riding in a lift with broken A.C. and a shirtless first officer. Jim had been about to do something really stupid when those doors opened. Too hot and too bothered to care he'd let himself fall, halfway hopping it would knock some sense into his clearly broken head.

Spock of course had caught him. And then he had said something to the effect that the heat must be getting to him. Jim wanted to tell spock that he was right, just not in the way he thought, but kirk wisely decided to keep his big mouth shut.

"I'm fine, Spock honest,"

"I feel that you should be taken to see Doctor McCoy to evaluate your health and..."

" And nothing Spock, what would he do? I'm alright, I don't have heat stroke, telling Bones would only be a waste of time."

Spock looked like he wanted to argue but Jim had that look in his eye (the one that says I'm doing it, back my play or get out of my way) and he thought better of it.

The two parted, making for thier own rooms. Spock to the left Jim to the right, and the only thing between the two was a connecting bathroom.

Jim's room was boiling, and after that little incident in the lift, (if it could be called an incident and not just a sudden and very powerful attack of lust) Jim, as much as he loved the heat, needed to cool down.

He replicated a bag of ice and flopped on his bed. For a while he dragged the ice across his chest, then up to his forehead, everywhere it went a small trail of water beaded up behind.

Dropping the bag over his chest he pulled his arm up over his eyes. What he really needed right now was a nap. The paper work sitting on his desk was just going to have to wait.

But as Jim all ready knew, the universe wasn't going to let that happen. (It was having too much fun screwing with his head.)

"Captain….Bridge to the Captain."

Jim groaned and answered without looking up.

"Yeah, Nyota what is it?"

"Jim…I'm sorry but Admiral Pike is, well he wants to talk to you and Spock."

This day just kept getting better and better.

"Fine have it patched through to my quarters, Kirk out " He raised his voice but didn't get up, "Spock I know you can hear me with those pointy ears of yours, get in here."

Spock had arrived at his room and had instantly started to meditate, well in truth he attempted to start meditating. His mind was so clouded with thoughts, emotions and, rather unfamiliar desires that trying to meditate was like trying not to get wet in a hurricane when you were trapt out side and the road was flooding (in effect it wasn't possible).

But stoically he made the attempt, but every few minutes or so just when he thought he might be getting somewhere, the picture of Jim pressed against the lift, shirtless and sweating with eyes dilated to the point where their startling blue was little more than a rim around the smoldering black of his pupils… would break his concentration and unintentionally raise his heart rate.

Spock tried to rationalize it but nothing he considered explained this sudden and unmistakable physical awareness.

But as one of Spock's most admired fictional characters once put, "When you have eliminated the possible, whatever is

left however improbable must be the solution."

And the impossible solution he kept arriving at was that somehow, he had accidentally become attracted (and surely it could be nothing more. No, he wouldn't even consider that, not even in light of the many soft warm feelings he had felt towards his captain in the past and was now only recognizing, because that would be the most illogical idea to ever have been thought, let alone considered.) to James T. Kirk.

Nothing like the startling realization you were having feelings for the most illogical human in the universe to break your concentration.

And so when Jim yelled for him to 'get in here' Spock could in fact hear him.

Almost grateful for a reason to end his failed meditation (almost, because he was Vulcan after all, being Grateful would imply that there had been something emotionally distressing and that would just not do.) Spock leapt quickly to his feet and made his way through the adjoining restroom.

"Yes, captain." Spock looked around for a moment not seeing Jim.

"It's Jim Spock, J-I-M, I can order you to refer to me like that if it makes things easier…"

Spock turned Jim was lying on his bed, some clear bag on his chest, that Spock took to be ice. Jim looked very good lying on that bed, lazy and sedate, Spock looked away rather quickly.

"How would I be able to assist you…Jim?"

Jim who'd been ready to take nap earlier was wide awake now. There were a whole host of things he could think that he 'needed' Spock to 'assist' him in, not the least of which was getting rid of this very sudden and almost overwhelming desire to taste Spock's sweat, it seemed that the temperatures were beginning to get to Jim along with the crew.

His head spinning with a very unusual wave of lust (not that Jim wasn't hit with waves of lust often, just not ones that were inspired by his first officer,) it took him a moment to remember why he'd called Spock over.

(and No damnit, Jim mentally reminded himself, the reason had nothing to do with licking sweat, or other body parts.)

"Yeah…uh. Oh, Pike is calling we gotta talk to him and I didn't feel like going up to the bridge so, would you mind…"Jim gestured to the now blinking Screen while trying to right himself, the heat was taking more out of him then he had thought.

Spock nodded and walked in standard stiff manner to the screen.

"Kirk,…Jeeze Jim, couldn't you keep me out of your romantic life…I mean, Spock I would have figured you, at least would be more subtle." Jim, who was now sitting upright on his bed facing the screen, had to think about Pike's words before he understood the meaning of them. (The heat had to be slowing his reaction time).

"Jesus, Pike it's not…We certainly…ah damnit all to hell…"

"Jim I don't care about your love life, I'm happy for you but if another Admiral calls…"

"If I may Admiral, you are suffering from an incorrect assumption, the Captain and I are not having any kind 'romantic' relationship." Spock interjected sounding as irritable as a Vulcan could.

Pike raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, Spock I don't care, and really if that's the best you got for being shirtless in Jim's room…?"

"Pike, we have a situation here. The Enterprise's Air Controls are shot, we're baking down here. Scotty has no idea why the air coolers aren't working…" Jim cut in.

Spock sharply followed, saying "Because of the increasing rise in temperature and the negative health effects the Captain has temporarily instated a new dress code, consisting of as few clothes, as comfortably possible."

Pike waited a beat, his expression changing from skepticism to irritation to worry. "Jim, what's happened?"

Jim shook his head rising to stand closer to the Viewscreen. "I told you, we don't know, we had to power down every unnecessary system we have, every engineer is looking day and night and Scotty has orders to call me as soon as something is found, but… so far? Nada, zilch, zero, as it is we're pushin' all the replicators to max to produce ice but that's not going to last forever…"

"We are as of yet, no closer to finding a solution then we were upon first discovering a problem, and our ship and crew are continue to be pushed far beyond the bounds of normalcy."

Pike ran his hands through his hair causing it to stand lightly on end. As much as he was seriously upset to hear this news he was unsurprised (the Enterprise just seemed to fall from one impossible and improbable situation to the next).

"You know Jim, sometimes I worry that the universe might just be out to frel with you." Pike finally looking Jim in the eye with a serious mixture of empathy and sad amusement.

Jim sighed, rolling his eyes slightly he turned to look at Spock. Spock knew that look it was the one that clearly said 'see, someone else agrees with me' and at that particular moment Spock was inclined to agree.

Nay, even expand that, the universe seemed not only to relish 'messing with' his Captain, but it also seem to have a particularly cruel sense of humor when it came to him.

REVIEW Please, and cookies and icecream to anyone who can catch the referances in this...i'll give you one clue i didn't make up the word 'Frel...' but it is my favorite curse word

somewhere between fucked and hell... XD REVIEW!

PS I have now fixed SCENT, i love reviews and i know that my spelling is terrible, so continue to REVIEW ON characters, plot, plot holes, or other destracting mistakes.

PSS I love you guys, i got like another 10 alerts telling me that people had signed up as 'story alert' and even 'story favorites' (Which is my favorite)

oh...and if you have a suggestion for a chapter tittle throw one out, (These are all parts/ titles of songs involving heat...) THANKS


	2. Burnin' out the day

**So hi, been a while, i wasn't feeling well but that isn't really my excuse, **

**So this part also explains why they can't leave, i was getting there but ...**

**I hope someone's still reading this, i had fun writing this part.**

**I know there hasn't been a lot of Spirk yet, and this Chapter is pretty tame but the next chapter will explain the M rating**

**(Not sure when that's gonna finish, my friend needs to finish previewing and then i have to rewrite it)**

Kirk had a fitful night's sleep, everything was too hot.

He had to wake every hour or so to refill his ice bag. After three uncomfortable hours he gave up, sleep just wasn't going to happen tonight. Pulling on his shorts (cause yeah, he hadn't been sleeping in anything 'heavy') he made his way to the bridge.

In order to try and lower the general temperature, the halls had been reduced to emergency lighting. The effect was something like a dream or a horror film. Faint red lights cast ominous shadows on the hall walls, making everything look terribly unfamiliar.

Jim rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to force the exhaustion out, but the lighting or lack thereof, wasn't helping. He felt far from alert.

So really it wasn't much of a surprise that as he stumbled into the lift, he ran straight into something, big and really solid.

"Gah!"

Jim let out a short yelp as he crashed ass first to the floor. The thing felt like it might have been made of iron, but whatever it was made of running into it face first had not been a good idea.

Gingerly Jim touched his nose, trying to determine if it was broken or not. (Note to self the next person to randomly leave something in the hall would be working Gama duty for a week…)

"Are you injured, Captain?"

Jim cursed and looked up. Yeah, the universe was definitely trying to screw him over.

Spock stood in the turbo lift, a single eyebrow raised in question. Obviously the Captain's human eyesight limited by the emergency lighting, had caused him to crash into Spock without seeing him. The how of this particular incident was no mystery the why however…

Frankly put Jim should have been asleep. No one had contacted him for an update because no progress had been made so he should have been resting and preparing himself his next shift not wandering poorly lit corridors.

At his question Jim had started swearing. A reflex Spock had noted as Jim's preferred reaction to anything unpleasant.

Looking up, Jim squinted through the gloom. For a moment Kirk didn't reply but then he shook his head and responded "Yeah…Spock, I'm peachy…can you do me a favor and check my nose…I think I ran into your chest and I can't tell if it's broken…"

Spock waited as Jim pulled himself to his feet. The light poor as it was, was enough for Spock's superior sight to determine that the front cartilage wasn't damaged but even he had to lean closer to inspect the rest of Jim's nose.

The move brought the two men into perilously close proximity. Jim slowly removed the hand that was pinching the bridge of his nose and Spock took a moment to observe his captain's face.

Not for the first time Spock found himself trying to identify the exact shade of electrifying blue that colored Jim Kirk's eyes. He knew that the task was illogical, (not merely because the task had no relevant application but because it was impossible to classify the ever shifting shade of Kirk's eyes) but he really couldn't help himself.

After just a moment, though it seemed longer, Spock forced himself to pull back.

"No, Captain, apart from a small amount of bruising your nose appears to other wise unharmed."

Kirk let out a laughing cough. (He could cut the tension with a knife) And in usual Kirk style he joked it off.

"Well good, I wouldn't want to ruin this beautiful nose…it would deprive a whole lot of people the opportunity to view perfection…"

"Captain, as aesthetically pleasing as your nose is one could hardly call it per…"

Jim shook his head again "Joke …Spock, it was a bad joke…whatever, we'll work on that…"

Spock raised an eyebrow. The human concept of 'humor' was a very strange and illogical thing; with the captain's humor this was especially true.

"Captain if I may enquire as to why you are wake, the hour is late and it is not yet time for your shift…"

"Yeah…Spock, but I couldn't sleep. I thought I'd check in with the bridge, see if we were making any progress…" Jim ran his fingers though his hair again, upsetting his already terribly messy hair. But he couldn't help it, something needed to happen and soon or he was going to leap right out of his skin.

"I was just at the bridge, Captain; there has been no progress…If you prefer it may be more productive for you to accompany me to engineering. I am hoping to have a discussion with Mr. Scott in order to determine possible next steps; your presence would be most welcomed…"

Kirk grinned. "Sounds like a plan to me, lead the way Mr. Spock."

"I donna know what I can tell you Capt'n…" Scotty called over the loud din of roaring engines. If the rest of the ship had started to resemble a sauna, then the engineering rooms were shooting for hell pits.

Everything here was hot, steam had started to cloud the floors, trying to get a breath of air was like trying to breathe through a hot wet winter blanket.

Scotty leapt down from an over head platform 5 or 6 feet above. Setting aside the multi-headed wrench he'd been holding (The thing looked big and dangerous enough to take someone out…), Scotty pulled the towel from his neck and wiped the building sweat from his face.

"Everything should be running smoothly, I've checked the cooling units, gone over the refrigerating wires twice now, I've tried every cure I can think of, short of pumping the thing full of chicken noodle soup! I mean…honest Capt'n, I've even gone lookin' for Tribbles…I've had my best crew workin' on it but so far we're nowhere…"

Kirk swore to himself.

"That was not what I wanted to hear Scotty…"

"I know…Trust me, I know."

Spock wandered a few paces closer to a large generator. The machine was making an eerie humming. It had to be at least 15 feet tall.

Spock had never been one for mechanical work. The theory behind machines like these were often too simple to provide much intellectual challenge and the idea of working so hard merely to maintain an items function,(though he was loathe to admit something so close to emotion), held little appeal.

But that didn't mean that Spock didn't recognize and appreciate the importance of such work. The Captain often said that there is no job on a ship to minor to matter, for a man as impulsive, so easily bored and as irrational as Jim the sentiment had seemed out of place, but a small time working on the Enterprise had given Spock a new understanding of its meaning.

As with the most delicate experiments, even the smallest details matter, and as with the function of a ship even the smallest wires, miss laid can bring about sudden end.

If the bridge were seen as the brain of the ship then the metaphor could be extended to include engineering as its heart. And right now that heart wasn't functioning.

A ship cannot function without its heart.

Kirk and Scotty were still chatting about the possible source of the ship's current problem when Spock turned back to them.

"Perhaps we should abandon the attempt to determine the malfunction's cause and make way for the nearest Space-Dock…There is one within 3.2 day's journey at a speed of warp 6…"

Scotty heaved an impressive sigh.

"I was just getting to that part, Commander…as it stands the heat levels have about evened out, we've opened air locks in various positions around the ship, ta act like windows, but the trouble is it's leveled out with the amount of heat being produced now, if we went ta warp, any warp, we'd start addin' heat any amount of time like that and we'd start ta cook, you canna go to warp with the air locks open…"

Kirk's eyes went hard "What are you saying Scotty?"

Scotty sighed again. "What I'm sayin' Capt'n is that we move from here and we cook ourselves, we stay here to long an we're bound to run inta unfriendlies and even if we don't, if we stay here too long then sooner or later the replicators will shut down, the engines will over heat or some other hiccup in the electrical work will take us out…"

"So what you're saying is that if we don't figure this out we are six ways to Sunday kinds of screwed…?"  
Scotty nodded.

"Could we not try ta contact another ship from the fed, so they might get some aid ta us?" Scotty asked scratching his head, but one look at his Capt'n and Commander told him the answer.

" No Scotty, we just spoke to Admiral Pike last night, there isn't anybody large enough to really help within a week or more of our position, we can't even get a proper tow…Even that nearby space-dock doesn't have anyone near our size..We're too far off the beaten path…"

"After our last encounter with the Klingons we were forced farther off course then initially estimated." Spock added, looking just the smallest bit contrite.

(Those had been his initial estimates after all, and they hadn't been just a little off they'd been way off… though really how was he suppose to have known about the additional effect of the exploding Mexre star, that star had even been out of scanner range, there was no way he could have known…but digressing…)

Scotty picked up his towel and took a swig from a water bottle that had been conveniently stashed nearby…"Well, I tell you Capn't as much as I love lookin' for a needle in a needle stack the size of Russia I'm gonna need a short break… and possibly a sandwich."

"That's fine Scotty…Tell you what, tag me in..." Spock raised a confused eyebrow as Kirk reached a fist towards his chief engineer.

But it seemed like Mr. Scott understood for he grinned and tapped the Captain's arm. Kirk's smirk turned predatory. The look in eyes was very similar to the look one might find in a tiger's.

"Be good to the lady, Capt'n and remember not ta touch anything glowin' red, I hardly need a repeat lecture from the Doc. He's a scary man, and if ye hurt yourself I'm gonna deny everything…"

Kirk let out a laugh like a bark "Hey, last time wasn't my fault and besides you know how good I am with this stuff, I won't break anything on the ship or in me…"

Scotty gave a small nod. "Aye, Sir, that tis true, if you weren't such a good Capt'n I'd tell you that you were wastin' ye're potential…"

Kirk laughed again as Scotty made his way to the engineering hatch. Spock turned to face Jim who was already strapping on a tool belt with a full assortment of useful looking items.

"Captain?" Spock asked confused by Jim's now joyful mood and the abrupt departure of the Chief of Engineer.

Kirk turned displaying a full smile for the first time in days.

"Relax, Spock, Scotty's taken a break so I'm going to do his job for a little bit…Unusual I know" Jim said quickly before Spock could protest, "But I know what I'm doing here, I never had much patience for that esoteric science stuff back at the academy, too much work for too little tangible results, but I've always been good with machines, heck I know almost as much about this engine as Scotty… besides a fresh pair of eyes might be what this problem needs."

Spock considered his argument for a moment before nodding "Your argument is most logical, though I am not sure how any eyes may qualify as fresh…"

Spock's response caused its predicated (and desired outcome). A laugh from Jim, and the wave of a hand, signaling Spock to follow.

"Come on Spock you can be my wingman, let's take a look at these puppies…"

As Spock knew little about the machines in engineering (he could have figured it out but that effort would have been laborious and of little benefit), was left with ample time to ponder the problems now facing them.

To list the problems from most pressing to least:

A) The cooling systems had failed and the cause continued to elude them

B) At any moment enemies of the federation could come upon them, and they would have no defense

C) They could not warp to safety or the ship would over heat and everyone aboard would die

D) Other federation ships were too far away to be of aid

E) Assuming the ship didn't experience any other mechanical problems first or hostile encounters the replicators would most likely fail before a vessel of sufficient size could reach them.

And perhaps most disturbing of all, (though least relevant to the ship) was Spock's growing attraction for his captain.

To borrow from Doctor McCoy, 'This wasn't looking good.

"God damnit, Jim what the hell do you think you're doing in this death trap?"

Spock turned towards the familiar voice. Doctor McCoy had turned a brilliant shade of red from the heat, but if he felt the discomfort he didn't show it.

Spock had been told by many people that McCoy and Kirk were as close as brothers. After considerable time watching their interactions Spock felt confident that their relations ship was far more resembled a child befriending a large Pit Bull with an overly protective attitude problem.

Spock watched impassively as McCoy made his way closer. His approach was by no means graceful but it got him to his destination.

McCoy was livid.

Kirk had a long history of over working himself and in this heat over working could be a death sentence. Entering engineering he spotted the Hobgoblin. Standing calmly staring into space looking very normal and unperturbed by the oppressive heat. In fact if it weren't for the lack of a shirt, the towel hanging off a shoulder and the water bottle in one hand you wouldn't have know anything was wrong.

Bones made his way closer and when he was less than a foot he made his displeasure known.

"Where is he?" McCoy growled.

Spock gently wiped off the small fleck of spit that had landed on his shoulder, but made no move to respond he merely raised an eyebrow.

McCoy was losing patience by the second. He had specifically told Jim to get some sleep and here he was disobeying orders with his faithful green guard dog protecting him from his so well disserved punishment.

"I asked you where he was!"McCoy's voice echoed throughout the room. It was the voice he saved for scaring red shirts back into health; it was the voice that sent lesser men, women and all other alien combinations heading for the hills.

Spock however was not a lesser anything and his only response was to blink.

McCoy was about two seconds from socking the man (super Vulcan strength be damned) when a grinding sound could be heard from above. McCoy started to look up when Jim's head came swing into view, just missing a collision with McCoy's nose.

"Are those Bones' dulcet tones I hear?"

Jim hung upside-down his legs braced in the sturdy metal pipes just above Spock. His head was positioned exactly in between Bones and Spock, and he was grinning his widest smirk (the one he wore whenever he was caught doing something he ought not to be doing…)

Twisting his head slightly he faced Bones, whose jaw had dropped open. In classic Kirk fashion he greeted his best friend.

"Hi ya Bones! How's it hangin'…?"

Bones couldn't help but stare. Jim was hanging upside-down in engineering like he was a monkey. A frickin' monkey!

While McCoy continued to process the slightly unusual scene, (though really one would think he'd be use to it by now) Spock didn't seem the least surprised (although when did he ever seem surprised?).

Spock handed the towel to Jim, who gave his face a vigorous wipe before putting the towel back on Spock's shoulder and grabbing the water bottle in its place.

McCoy, most of his anger gone and replaced by amusement, found the ability to speak. "I don't know, why don't you tell me kiddo…"

Kirk grinned as he greedily sucked down the water Spock had been holding for him.

"Well to be perfectly honest not much at this point Bones, I've only confirmed what we already knew, that really there shouldn't be anything wrong and pretty soon we're gonna be in deep shi-"

"Doctor, have there been any serious injuries as of yet?" Spock interrupted while simultaneously tapping the water bottle back into Jim's mouth. Jim gave a small choking noise before returning to his drink.

McCoy watched for a moment.

For all his complaining about the pointy eared menace, Spock had a very good, almost instinctual knowledge about what the Captain needed. Spock knew that injuries wouldn't bare relevance on the ship's condition ( unless it were someone who had half a chance of fixing the problem like say Scotty, Jim, …Spock) but he also knew that Jim wouldn't move from the subject until he'd learned the latest damage done to his very precious crew.

McCoy sighed before responding "Nothing serious, a couple minor burns from touching overheated equipment, one case of mild heat stroke…but nothing that should have anyone off work for longer than it takes to sleep off the meds…"

Upon thinking about medicine Bones started fishing in his bag for his pre-prepped hypos, a couple of thing he whipped up just for Jim.

"Oww!" Jim yelped clapping his hand first on one side of his neck and then on the other. Bones put the hypo-sprays away. His work was done, and before Jim could even complain or try and evade.

"Bones that wasn't fair!" Jim yelped still swing from his knees (Looking for all the world like a slighted child on a jungle gym) Bones just snorted, taking care to pack the used hypo-sprays in a separate compartment in his medical bag.

"Captain whining about hypo-sprays is hardly a useful way to spend one's time." Spock commented in his usual dry tone. (The man had no sympathy, none, it was cruel…)

Jim wiggled a little more. (Looking even odder then usual from his strange position)

"Captain…Bridge to Captain Kirk…" Kirk stopped squirming looking around with a sudden sharp focus.

"This is Kirk to bridge go ahead…"

Uhura's voice became more recognizable but the problem was no clearer after her response.

"Captain…it might be easier if you came to see for yourself…"

A flicker of fear found its way into Jim. What could be so strange that he had to go 'see' it? Well whatever it meant it meant that he needed to get to the bridge NOW.

"Be right there Uhura…"

"Good, Sir, have you seen the Commander or Doctor…"

Kirk cut in with a wave of his hand, (that no one besides Spock or McCoy could see but still). "Don't worry, they're with me, we'll head up together Kirk ou…"

But Uhura's voice cut in again. "I'm sorry Captain, but Doctor McCoy is needed back in medbay, an engineer is seriously injured."

Bones was moving before she had a chance to finish her sentence. "Be there in a moment tell Chapel to hold it till I get there…" He didn't wait for a response but started for the door.

"We're all on the move, be there ASAP, Kirk out." Kirk twisted to face Spock. Even upside-down it was clear the two were both preparing themselves for the worst.

Without a word Spock reached out an arm. Jim latched onto Spock's wrist and Spock did likewise. Without warning Jim jumped back-flipping from this perch to the floor. Spock swung his arm to add to the speed of the flip and ensure that no other limbs would entangle the somewhat dangerous acrobatic stunt.

Jim landed hard but he had landed firmly on his feet and though Jim hardly needed the aid Spock helped to pull the captain to his feet regardless. Nodding the two started towards the bridge.

The walk to the bridge was eerily quiet. The halls were empty of all unneeded staff and they were still dark, but Jim was in a hurry and he was awake, there would be no delays.

Taking a sharp, left Spock kept pace half a step behind his captain. Neither was running but it was close.

Despite the pressing concerns Spock found himself noting all the differences that suddenly struck the captain when something serious needed to be done. Speculation on what they would find when they reached the bridge would be of little use as they would be there shortly but the differences between 'Jim' and the 'Captain' were becoming more and more obvious to Spock.

He was starting to wonder how he'd managed to miss the differences.

"Captain, thank God…" Sulu's voice full of relief was the first Jim heard practically before he was out of the lift. Jim wondered momentarily what he'd done to earn that much faith… (Maybe it was the whole jumping and nearly falling to their death bonding thing…)

"Sulu, I thought I told you to get some sleep." Jim joked projecting as much confidence as he could in the small tease. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Taking a quick scan of the room it became rather clear that Sulu had not been the only senior bridge hand to return to his post. Uhura sat at her station, one hand fiddling with a knob on her desk, the other pressing a pair of old fashioned headphones to one ear. Chekov was sitting next to Sulu, he was still in a pair of cotton pajama bottoms and something that looked like a polar bear was sitting just above his consul.

"Someone talk to me…" Jim said still trying to sooth the feel of the room with his presence.

"It's coming on screen now." Sulu said tapping in a few buttons and then something overwhelmingly bright filled the screen.

The entire crew flinched from the sudden brightness. It was so bright that it was practically blinding.

"Sulu…someone, tone the brightness way back…Now." Jim called his hands still up to shield his eyes (He hadn't moved so despite the hand shielding thing he gave himself macho points…Chekov however was sitting under his desk…minus macho points ) Spock stepped forward reaching for the nearest consul. A moment later the brightness dimmed. (Jim gave Spock some macho points)

"What…was that?" Jim looked around his gaze meeting the dozen or so others, who where now looking at him.

Though the question was rhetorical Spock spoke up from the seat he'd taken. Still looking at the view screen's new contents he spoke slowly as if he needed pause, to consider each word

"I am…not certain, Captain. I have…never seen anything like it."

Even in his shocked numb state Jim had presence enough of mind to recognize the Vulcan equivalent of shock, (and though usually he'd find it absolutely hysterical) this particular shock just left him feeling a kind of dread in pit of his stomach and a cold lance of fear snaking its way down his back.

Remember REVIEWS are good, even when they are bad, they are the wind beneath my sails,

I'd love to thank everyone who reviews and everyone who writes, you guys are my heroes,

THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS NOW TELL ME HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT IT SO I CAN MAKE IT BETTER

PSsorry about the spelling errors, my windows has spell checker issues, it doesn't caps and it doesn't recognise a lot of common words, we tried the patch...but...

pss MORE SPIRK to come, but reviews will let me feel the love... oh and i'm not sure i mentioned this but the spaced out format is intentional, you don't like it tell me

but i find it easier to read when it's a little more spaced...don't you?

TOTALLY FORGOT, YES THE REFERANCE IS FARSCAPE, ( the first sci-fi TV show i ever watched made me love the whole space ship concept, I credit them with my new love of ST!XD


	3. so let's turn up the heat 'til we fry

kk first things first-

OKAY I FIXED THE SPELLING AND ADDED LIKE 2 SENTENS...THANK YOU don't for get to submit lyric based tittles for the next chapters...

GAH! I LOVE YOU GUYS

seriously, I had not checked my email in like forever when I do I find like no kidding 40 author/story alerts !

you have no idea how happy that made me, this was just something that attacked my brain one night and it hasn't let go and I'm so happy that so many of you like it and a big shout out to the REVIEWERS!

(Initially I thought about personally thanking anyone who reviewed but I'm terrible with computers so getting exact names would be difficult so consider this your personal shout out ;) Plus it keeps growing

second things next - yes you got the references …Frel is from Farscape, love that show, and the quote in the first one is a paraphrase from my favorite detective who has little gray cells.

Next I'm super slow if you haven't got that yet, this one is extra long to make up for it and to appoligize that I'm terrible at slash….so sad,

Next if you are reading my OTHER work…for a fist full….I will not work on that until this is done…SORRY.

finally yes this chapter will have some serious Slash, my first attempt and (though not a foreign idea to me) I would appreciate a little slack in that area, you will get a warning slightly before….

so on with the show! (DID I MENTION THIS ONE IS LONG)

* * *

Kirk stared at the view-screen mesmerized by the dazzling spectacle.

It was huge, bright, and it terrified Kirk down to his core.

After several moments Jim realized that the rest of the crew was like him, staring at the shiny screen.

"Someone tell me what that thing is, Now. " He said, not yelling but his voice carried throughout the bridge like a distant roll of thunder.

"Sensors aren't picking up any audio, Captain…" Uhura replied her voice slightly unsteady as she pulled her face from the screen to look down at her monitor.

"I want something on that thing, long range sensors, heat scans, extra visual angles, close ups, pans, a molecular substance sweep. I want to know it's maiden name…and most of all I want to know how the fuck we didn't see this thing coming…" Kirk struggled to keep his pitch even. His emotions swirled in his mind like thunder clouds, fear, confusion, an unusual sense of dread, excitement, anger and a dozen shades between, none of which he knew, would be of use to him right now (in the end he went with pissed…pissed was a good solid not fear based emotion…).

The crew leapt to obey.

Chekov and Sulu started to furiously type away at their stations. Spock stood and walked to a different station raising an eyebrow, that effectively sent the poor lieutenant manning the station running for his life. (No one stands up to Spock's eyebrow…)

Facts and figures started to fly , as crew members started shouting information to the bridge in general.

"Heat sensors are putting out contradicting information… Keptian… one is saying dat the mass is 100000 degrees Centigrade others say -80000… I cannot reconcile the data…" Chekov responded.

"Captain…The scans… some say it's solid another's calling it plasma…," Sulu smacked his console turning to face Jim.

"And I can't get a close up, I can't even pan back…We're surrounded…but it's not getting any closer either…" Nyota muttered in frustration more to herself then, but the words 'we're surrounded ' echoed around the bridge like they had been shouted.

Kirk swore. Whatever it was, it was big, and it had enough energy to screw with the sensors. Turning Jim walked up behind Spock who(of course) had been the only officer to remain silent.

Spock stared at the screen in front of him seemingly unaffected by the new terrifying news. But he had heard all they had said and more.

He heard the captain make his way closer and stop just behind him. Spock already knew what Jim wanted but he waited for his Captain to ask anyway (Because assumptions… ass..u..me…illogical…)

Kirk leaned in to whisper gently in a pointed ear. "Spock…how did we get this close without seeing anything…What the hell is going on Spock…?"

If Spock had been human he would have fought the urge to lean closer to the soft voice in his ear, but he was Vulcan( and he had more important things to do.)

"Captain, from what I have been able to discern, we have flown into and have as a consequence been trapped within a previously undocumented space phenomenon, that gave no warning signal and caused no alerts to our systems, until it was too late to matter…"

"So basically we're trapped in a giant space bubble made of…a sun?" Kirk gestured at the still glowing screen.

"The metaphor of a bubble is essentially accurate however I cannot at this time postulate as to what this 'bubble' might be made of…"

"Fuck." Kirk responded and for once Spock felt no compulsion to mention Star Fleet language regulations.

For a moment there was silence before Kirk was struck with inspiration. (or common sense…odd how often those two concepts seem to coincide.)

"Spock?" Jim asked making sure only his first officer could hear "is it possible that our heat problems are in some way related to our current little location problem…"

Almost absent mindedly Spock typed something into his terminal. Then after a moment he turned his burning black eyes meeting icy electric blues.

"There is a low probability of correlation or causation, however it cannot be excluded from the realm of possibility." Kirk nodded his eyes never leaving Spock's and as he turned back to the crew Spock knew exactly what his Captain was thinking.

Probabilities be damned, the odds of this being pure coincidence…on this ship… the two problems were connected and Captain Kirk was determined to figure out how.

After 19 hours in which every possibility was explored and every theory tested a conclusion had been reached, the bright shininess that now surrounded them was of exactly…

No importance.

Yep after hours of tests and probes they discovered nothing about the shiny blinding surface of the surrounding bubble, they couldn't get closer to it, they couldn't get away from it, it was on all sides but gave off no discernable heat or radiation or other potentially harmful substances… It neither made threatening 'signals' nor peaceful ones.

In essence it changed nothing about their situation… they could even continue to contact command but they couldn't send images of their location every time they tried the files self corrupted.

Pike agreed to send emergency ships but privately both he and Kirk felt like it was a waste of time.

The Enterprise and her crew were essentially on their own.

"Thanks admiral…Yeah I know we'll keep in touch.." Kirk said and the screen cut dark. Nothing hours and hours of work and nothing. They were back were they'd started.

Sighing Jim laid out his upper body on the relatively cool surface of the desk, careful to ensure that his head and his arms didn't touch. It wasn't getting hotter but it wasn't getting cooler ether. After shutting his eyes for what felt like only a moment Jim found himself being gently, jostled awake .

Jim woke with a groan and to the fading sensation of fingers siding their way down his chest.

"Captain…from what I've understood excluding a short rest period of a proximately 2 to 3 hours you have been awake for at least 34 hours straight…you are in need of rest."

Blinking, Jim did his best to sit up, wincing slightly at the sickening sound that came from his skin peeling off the now very warm desk.

Not quite awake, he asked the only question he could think of, while desperately willing his mind to calm the hell down.

"How'd ya find me?"

Spock watched as his captain attempted to sit up. "You were 20 minutes late for a command staff meeting that you yourself had called when I choose to then look for you. "

Spock took in the appearance of his Captain. It was clear that Jim was suffering. His skin was flushed, his heart rate and current respiration rate were well above what was expected even accounting for the heat. He also seemed to be perspiring in excess.

Kirk was in need of rest. The strain of their perplexing predicament combined with the effects of heat were starting to were upon him.

But the effects of the heat were not limited to Kirk alone, Spock again found himself fighting illogical urges like the urge to help Jim up, or the urge to brush aside a blond curl that clung to his captain's sweat soaked skin. ( and maybe just maybe the urge to taste the trail of sweat that was sliding it's way down his captain's chest)

In a tone that left no room for argument Spock continued "After you have attained sufficient water, I will accompany you to sick bay where Doctor McCoy might then check your current health as well as administer a mild sedative. "

For a moment Jim just blinked lazily as he stared up at his first.

Fuck it.

Jim was tired of lying to himself. He was JAMES T. KIRK he didn't run from his problems and he didn't freak out when he suddenly found himself lusting after his first officer. (his first officer who was wearing nothing but a pair of pants that were just tight enough to show off how perfect his Vulcan ass was…) Without thinking Kirk reached up and grabbed Spock's arm dragging himself to his feet and dragging Spock closer.

Spock lurched forward as he was thrown off balance by the sudden skin to skin contact.

Lust.

Longing.

Need.

The feelings hit Spock like a fist to the gut (And a rush to places more interesting). The Captain's mind was overwhelming Spock's defenses. His mental barriers were little more than the walls of a sandcastle to the tidal wave that was Jim.

Taking advantage of Spock's momentary inability to function, Jim let go of his arm and gently caressed his ears. One hand wrapped around each ear Jim slowly tugged Spock's face closer.

The sudden feeling of Jim's hands on his ears was more than Spock could take, the moment their foreheads touched a mindmeld began without Spock's conscious consent their minds mixed.

It was light. Barely a touch of the minds. It was brief. Perhaps less than a second. It was violent. Their minds clashed only for a moment but it was moment that showed eternity.

It was brief.

It was light.

And it was the most potent sensation Spock had ever felt.

And it was like every sensation Kirk had ever tried, every experience with a vaguely pleasant memory attached to it, combined and multiplied by a million.

Kirk pulled back just enough to ensure that they were no longer touching. "What the Fuck?"

Spock had pullled back farther and was tugging on his uniform as if it had been mussed. But he wasn't anwsering.

"Spock?" Jim looked over but Spock was avoiding his eyes.

He didn't want to anwser...in truth he wasn't sure he was ready to anwser. Something that Spock found similiar to the metephor of a beast was pacing in his chest, waiting for a crack in his control and rip it's way out.

"Spock?" Jim said (Just a little louder)

"My appologies, Captain, I lost control of my mental barriers, what we experienced is known among my people as a Mind-Meld..."

"Yeah, Spock, I know what a mind-meld is, but what I want to know is why we had one, I mean don't you have to like try, to...to do a Mind-thing?"

Spock raised an eyebrow, he wanted to ask how his Captain knew about mind-melds, but in the interest of brevity he skipped on. " My barriers were weaken and occationally...compatible minds are able to enter in accidental mind-melds...you have my appologies, as it is against every moral code to invade a non-telepath's mind without permission...I would contiue this conversation, however I am needed in one of the Science labs."

And before Jim could reply Spock was gone. It was almost like it had never happened (save for the still humming glow that sat in the back of his mind like a soothing hum...) And just like that Jim was left standing in the middle of an over-heated conferance room, hot and bothered and confused as hell.

Jim didn't run to Bones.

He sprinted for his life (despite the heat)

(Okay) So…Maybe James Tiberius Kirk did freak out…(just a little)

McCoy had the good fortune of having the next 3 shifts off. Or at least it had been good fortune until a certain golden haired Captain flew through his door into his room.

"Bones we have a problem…" Jim said. No preamble no explaining just 'we've got a problem'.

Bones sighed (and wondered briefly what he'd done in a past life to deserve his role as Kirk's keeper.)

"Now, I'm gonna assume that this problem is a new one. One that isn't the heat, or the strange magic light show goin' on outside. I think it's also safe to assume that this particular 'problem' is personal, right? God damnit Jim, I'm a doctor not a physiatrist, I've told you before that I don't know how to fix that broken head of yours."

Jim hadn't been listening (he'd been well lost in his own panicked little world).

"Bones…" He said, interrupting Bones mid-rant. "I think I'm in love with Spock."

Bones hadn't shut his mouth, he hadn't lowered an accusatory finger, and he sure as hell hadn't just heard that. (it was the heat right?)

"Like I was sayin'…"

"Bones…" Jim spoke up again "I think I'm in love with Spock…"

McCoy turned to observe his best friends. No signs of delirium, a cursory examination of Jim's head and eyes ruled out scull and brain damage. (At least not new brain damage)

"Well Jim I don't know what's wrong with you but we'll head down to sick bay because you've clearly lost your ever-lovin' mind! Has the heat finally driven you inane."

Jim just shook his head. "I'm serious Bones, just now…I…I touched him, I mean all I did was touch him and there was like this chain reaction and like he mentioned something about an unintentional…meld, and …well, god Bones what ever it was it was so good I nearly creamed my pants…"

"Jesus." McCoy wheeled around putting his hands on his ears he walked to his cabinet (the one that technically doesn't exist 'cause it's full of the good stuff.)

"I did not just hear that…"

"Bones…"

"No…I am not kidding I'm not going to talk about your sex drive and Spock. Specifically I'm never gonna talk about the two in the same sentence. And are you sure you aren't…well in lust, cause face it kid, I know you and you go stir crazy when you haven't had …relations…"

Jim groaned and slid into a chair by the small table. McCoy made his way over with a bottle of bourbon and two glasses. He watched as McCoy poured two stiff glasses (in honor of the temperature bones had broken down and put ice in his bourbon), before grabbing and downing his in a single go.

"Don't I wish…That's what I thought a first when…well when I started to have feelings of an unusual sort…"

"Now wait a second how long has this been goin' on.!"

Jim smiled sheepishly "Well I've always liked him, his a great guy, and protest all you like but the two of you together are better then comedy hour of any night club…but as for thinking he had a fine ass…(Bones winced at this and finished the rest of his drink, sometimes Jim just over shared). Well I guess technically a month ago on Rivus 6..."

"You mean that little disaster with the Rivus aphrodisiac."

Jim cut in quickly "That was not my fault Bones, the translators screwed up, besides they were gonna shoot us if I didn't eat it. How was I suppose to know that I was like 40times more susceptive to it…god, you're never gonna let me live it down."

"Nope, get use to it kiddo."

Jim made a face "Don't call me that, and besides, look the mindy-meld thing we had just now trust me, it isn't just lust, and I think it might be mutual."

McCoy jerked a little while pouring their next drink. "Did you just say mind meld?" he asked but he started talking again before Jim could nod in response. "Good god, Jim do you have any idea the dangers of a Mind-meld. Those are a strictly Vulcan thing and…and you need to give consent…if he forced that on you…you couldn't possibly have an understanding of the…." McCoy was starting to get red in the face and Jim recognized that expression. (it meant war, and possibly death to those in his way)

"Bones…Bones relax. One, yeah I already know what a mind-meld is…it's not that bad. Two this is Spock, my first officer, my first officer whose taken literally and figurative bullets for me…He. Wouldn't. Hurt. Me. Even if his life depended on it…and three he said it was an accident, he didn't mean to initiate anything so leave him alone and put away your war flags…Jesus I'm not stupid."

Jim's out burst interrupted McCoy's war path but it made something else quiet clear to McCoy.

Sitting back in his chair McCoy sighed.

"Well I guess we've finally come to the inevitable." When Jim shot him a confused look Bones continued. " Could you hear yourself just now? He just violated your very precious head space and all you're concerned with is protecting him…I mean,…(sigh) There were signs but I didn't think it would work out this soon or at such a crappy time…"

"Bones speak English or I'm court marshalling you ."

"Yeah kid, I think you've got it bad, but it's hardly surprising, I guess as they say opposites attract, and it doesn't get more polar then you two."

"Bones. English. Please."

"I think your in love to kid. Tough luck. Join the club and have a drink."

Jim took a moment to look shocked. That hadn't been what he was expecting. He had expected Bones to smack him, and make him snap out of it, not give up and give him his version of a blessing. That wasn't the way it worked. James Tiberius Kirk did not fall in love. He certainly didn't freak out and he didn't toast to heart ache (RIGHT?)

But Bones put a drink in his and before he knew it he was downing it in a single burning swallow.

"Jesus Bones, you actually saw this coming?" Jim looked over at his best friend who half chuckled half groaned.

"You haven't seen the way you behave around him. Seriously you guys walk in frickin' tandem and you take up the entire hall, it's like all of a sudden you've become invincible, and when someone has data, who isn't a senior bridge crew member, that you're the tiniest bit suspicious of, you run over to Spock, but you have never questioned the accuracy of Spock…"

Jim jumped in to defend himself "He's Spock, he's Vulcan…and he's Spock double checking him is a waste of time…"

McCoy just put up a hand to silence Jim. " And who waits for you while you're in sick-bay…who defends your every illogical action to the admiralty?…During your partial, Mind meld or whatever didn't you say you thought it might be mutual? Come on Jimmy, I'm no fan of pointing out the obvious…And I certainly don't care to think about that pointy ear hobgoblin's 'feelings… But seriously when you were kidnapped Admiral Barnet tried to call us off your search. Spock shoved his words back at him in the most polite and brutal way I've ever seen. The entire bridge crew gave him a standing ovation. And then he personally damaged long range communications so they couldn't call back and then he went on the planet to search for you himself."

Jim looked up a little awed and more then a little surprised (no one had told him about this, under a very real fear of Spock making them incapable of telling the story in a violent manner.)

McCoy's voice soften as Jim's thoughts turned inward "And who do you wait for out side of my sick bay? How angry were you the last time he took a bullet for you? You're not usually a violent guy, but you broke more bones in the attacker then I care to think about…Think about it Jimmy who do you depend on…I can't believe I'm sayin' all this, but you are about as thick as this ship's hull and I don't want to watch you dance around yourself like a lost pony…"

Jim smirked at little "Don't worry Bones I know you don't particularly like this, your metaphors are becoming increasingly unintelligible, 'dancing around yourself like a lost pony?"

Bones snorted "Don't test me kid…Remember I'm a doctor not the grammarian, of whom your mother warned you…"

Jim smiled. Before a lost look clouded his face. "Okay, let's say that at the very least I'm thinking about starting a relationship with Spock. How do I go about it?"

Bones sighed again and poured them a third drink. "Jim, be you. Be smart, be charming, be completely ruthless and stubborn and when you can, cheat…but most of all never ever talk to me of this again. If it doesn't work we'll drink to your broken heart, if by some twisted fate it works, then we'll drink to your happiness…but if you give me details I will find a painful way to kill you…understood."

Jim smiled his killer grin and Bones just groaned again. Downing the last of his bourbon Jim got to his feet with a bounce. "Kay Bones, I'm off to be stubborn, charming, and incorrigible…" And he headed for the door.

McCoy poured himself another drink. He was going to have his work cut out for him to forget this particular conversation. (and if he found himself feeling a little bit sorry for Spock he was going to keep that to himself.)

Jim was walking down the hall with new purpose in his stride. So, maybe he had a crush on Spock. That wasn't so bad life moved on.

Bones didn't mind, and best of all, Spock…might just might also kind of like him back.

God, he felt like he was in junior high all over, (and he hadn't ever even gone to junior high.)

In fact he was so intent on walking down the hall wrapped up in his own little world that he didn't notice the signs of a break-in until he was already opening his door.

The door key pad while still whole was off center and blinking a strange blue. An odor that reminded him of acid eating rubber met his nose as he paused to observe the panel. Subtle but they were there and for a fleet trained Captain he knew better then to blindly march into what very well could be an ambush.

Slowly Kirk eased back and them 'muttered' rather loudly to himself.

"Shoot, I forgot to get's Spock's sign-off…Pike's gonna have my ass…"

He started walking to Spock's door a few meters left,(connected via a shared bathroom) and then quiet suddenly despite the overwhelming heat he shivered. Turning he saw the door to his room swing further open. Without thinking he started to run.

Spock should have been meditating in his quarters 2.36 hours ago. However the there had been some rather terrible melt down in section 3 of the science department (just one of the many things he had meant to tell the captain who had missed his own emergency meeting, before becoming…distracted). Section 3 handled the delicate and dangerous. Not in Spock's opinion a greatly logical combination.

So Spock had postponed his mediation in order to wade knee deep in various experiments and expensive lab equipment. (normally Spock didn't approve of metaphors however he was literally slogging his way through some liquid that had expanded to cover the Science lab up to his knee and there were various floating and sunken pieces of former lab equipment.)

"Commander I came to see if I could…jeez." Sulu stopped dead as he walked out on the Science balcony. He looked down at his imposing Commander and was tempted to laugh (an action he would not have survive…nerve pinch people…). The Commander's hair was stuck up at odd angles, his pants were coated in some sort of gelatinous blue gunk that had splattered onto his upper body creating and interesting color contrast. In one hand he held a pad that was clearly there to account for the damages in his other he held something that looked like a red teddy bear.

Spock looked up from the Pad (which was now indicating that even if he found nothing else broken 95.4% of the lab had been comprised and all of the data rendered invalid.) and raised an eyebrow.

"Greetings Mr. Sulu, you are most welcomed to join in…the 'clean up' effort, However with the given data a full cordoning of the area is the most practical solutions. The efforts to save an more equipment would be more detrimental to crew health the predicted net benefits of such actions…"

It took Sulu about 15 seconds to actually understand what Spock was saying .

(He swore to Chekov that the commander didn't actually speak standard and both of them wondered how the captain understood everything he said instantly)

While Sulu was catching up, Spock was making his way to the stairs. Each step sounded like he was stepping on grapes or silly putty, and each step left a precise blue foot print.

(this particular lab was two stories tall for extra space, fortunate because it meant they could seal the bottom doors and use the stairs that lead to a small balcony were two doors existed connecting the lab's over head with an observation room that could then be used as an exit, this meant that none of the blue goo needed to spill into the halls.)

By the time he made it up the stairs Spock was actually sweating.

"Are you alright commander?" Sulu asked, he had taken all the mandatory classes at the academy so he knew that Vulcans like the heat or at least 'found it similar to their home planet's temperature'.

Spock sucked in a breath and nodded. "This blue substance you see is an insolater…it was being experimented upon when a separate experiment's cooling units failed and thus caused a cascading systems failure…The initial experiment's failure had little impact however when this substance met excess heat…"

"I get it," Sulu cut in, he really wasn't looking for a science lecture from the science king. He knew that

Chekov could listen to Spock talk all day but he never understood why.

"The heat caused it's unstable structure to expand… right?"

Spock nodded.

"As it stands repairing the damage is not possible, and trying to clean the entirety…"

"With the heat as it is it isn't cost beneficial hu?"

Spock didn't nod but he started for the doors, absentmindedly handing Sulu the red teddy bear as he went. The observation room had been made into a make shift changing/cleaning room. Stepping behind a curtain Spock stripped and showered, to tired and unwilling to make the long trek to his room for a private shower.

The sensation of water on his skin was jarring but nothing, not the strenuous work he had applied himself to for hours, nor the exhaustion that wracked his frame, nor even strange sensation of actual water in his shower could distract him from the only thing that had consumed his mind this entire time.

That thing had a name.

James Tiberius Kirk.

From somewhere behind the screen Spock knew that Sulu was speaking, his logical mind understood and gave appropriate responses to questions that concerned the mess he had just left (every other part of his mind…the majority of his mind couldn't have cared less…).

"Alright Commander, I can finish sealing off this section…"

Spock said something a kin to 'thank you' and left still in a daze.

James T. Kirk.

Captain Kirk

Jim…

Spock wasn't deluded. He didn't lie to himself. He understood his inherited touch-telepathy. And like in every other subject of study had been naturally gifted in the area of telepathic strength. He was ( again like he was in all other subjects) a very talented telepath with strength surpassing an average Vulcan's.

His ability to shield his mind in particular, had been an area (if he felt such things) of pride. Few full Vulcans could have broken his metal shields even if they applied themselves.

And yet here a human, a human who had no significant telepathic abilities to speak of, had torn through his defenses as if they hadn't existed.

And the brief contact of their minds had been…intoxicating (to put it mildly…)but it was best not to speculate on such things until he was able to meditate on the subject.

Yes, meditation would yield him some clarity. Because he certainly wasn't thinking clearly if he was even considering…no the probability of…no it was to astronomical to calculate.

When the lift doors opened, in spite his distracted state of his mind, Spock immediately recognized that something was desperately wrong.

The first to hit him had been the smell. A nose much stronger then humans meant that even before the lift doors opened he could smell the smoke. The burnt odor of scorched metal and melted plastic filled the confined space and swamped his senses.

The doors opened up on a hall blackened with ash and littered with pieces of walls and the remnants of other more personal knick-knacks. The heat here was stifling even for Spock. With caution his bare feet stepped forward towards ash coated floors.

The wreckage was immediately recognizable. It was his room. More specifically it was his room and the captain's now spilt onto the hall floor like an over tipped dumpster. Torn pieces of metal from the size of splinters to a whole door propped up against the far wall fell in piles everywhere. Some large sharp pieces had even embedded themselves in the opposite wall.

For a long moment it didn't compute. Yes, their rooms were in a small hall separated from the main sweep, but surely someone must have heard this. And more over, there was no reason for it. There were reasons to kill the Captain and himself, he knew, but none of these explained the bombing especially given ship's current ill-fated-predicament.

For a full moment Spock merely stared at the hall. In a small pile to the left he saw the remnants of his mothers sweater and felt a pang of sorrow.

But then his excellent sense of smell caught the faint whiff of iron.

Iron and sunshine and something like a breeze and freedom and

Jim.

In the space it takes most people to blink Spock was half way down the hall. He could smell Jim and he was reaching for the leaning door and tearing the offensive metal away before his mind had caught up with his body.

The metal door had to weigh something close to 100 pounds. (after an assassination attempt 3 months in to their first mission on Spock, Jim had ordered the replacement of all senior bridge staff doors. All of them were now bullet proof with locking codes that only the CMO and the Captain knew) Spock picked it up and tossed it towards the remnants of his room like it weighted no more then a frizz-bee.

Jim lay crumpled on the floor clearly unconscious. Kneeling Spock felt along Jim's bare spine. There was no spinal damage, at least it wasn't broken. His pulse and breathing rates were stable but the encouraging news did little to calm Spock's own wildly beating heart.

He felt it in his core. Rage. And it was rising to the surface with a murderous vengeance. Never had he been so angry, not with Jim during the bridge incident, not even Nero, Nothing before had brought from his core so much mindless rage.

Fire was burning in his blood like it had in his distant ancestors. He felt the need to rip, to tear apart this threat that had dared hurt his Captain.

But thoughts of his Captain brought his mind back to the present. There was nothing here to destroy, but there was something he needed to save.

Lifting the captain like one might lift a very small child, he clutched his Captain close and rushed for the lift.

Bones couldn't believe it. He really couldn't believe that his luck was this bad. Jim had gotten himself blown to kingdom come.

Not figuratively either.

The kid would be alright. From what Spock had said those bullet proof doors had finally come in handy and though it had knocked Jim out, it had also taken the brunt of the explosion and best of all it had taken the shrapnel.

The only detail strange about the thing (Was he really saying the only strange thing? The whole thing was strange, they had a mysterious heat wave, get trapped in a glowing bubble and some one tries to kill Jim! Seriously all of that was seriously strange and to top it all off everyone was running around half naked.)

The only physical thing as yet unexplained was why Jim was in front of Spock's door. (Bones of course had an idea but he was mum on the whole thing)

And speaking of Spock the silly green blooded hobgoblin was leaking emotion all over the place. Bones had been worried that he might take the head off the poor lieutenant who had reported that nothing of the incendiary device remained an that they had no forth coming clues. He had actually snapped something like 'That is unacceptable, you will return and continue to sift through every molecule of that scene if necessary. Understand that you will be held accountable for any lost evidence" And it will be taken out of your scalp was implied..

McCoy wouldn't normally consider himself the intimidated type but Spock was getting close proving him wrong.

Jim of course was only suffering from a minor concussion. And he had sat in bed pouting that no one would listen, until McCoy, not interested in listening to Jim whine, promptly knocked him out with a mild sedative.

After an hour or so Spock had stopped…doing what ever he'd been doing…and sat down at foot of Jim's bed and folded his hands.

McCoy waited a minute or so to ensure that his restless need to move was at it's end, before making his way to the clearly distressed Vulcan.

McCoy eyed the floor as he drew closer.

"You're leakin'" he said with out elaboration. Spock turned so fast he might have given himself whiplash. Pointy eared bastard was strung tighter then a turkey on thanksgiving.

Realizing it was the doctor Spock relaxed (slightly…uh..not that he'd been tense, it was just that it was logical to be wary given that someone had just tried to kill Jim…What?)

Spock didn't ask, he didn't need to. He knew by now that the good doctor would get to his 'point' in his 'round-about-illogical way' when he got there and to quote Jim 'not a moment before', but he did indulge in a single raised eyebrow.

McCoy smirked. The response had been about what he had expected.

"Your feet." Spock followed the doctor's gaze. His stomach gave a slightly unfamiliar lurch.

His feet were bleeding. Profusely

With near desperation Spock ransacked his memory (it was a supposedly perfect one after all) but he couldn't remember cutting them. He didn't recall pain or blood, when or where it happened.

While Spock remained lost in thought, McCoy knelt lifting one foot at a time, carefully avoiding skin to skin contact with his thin doctor's gloves.

Spock remained still as the doctor took a pair of very old fashioned tweezers and plucked a metal splinter from the sole of his foot. How he had come to injure his feet and why his usually perfect memory couldn't recall it were now unnervingly clear.

He'd rushed down the hall and he hadn't bothered to think of the shrapnel. That was 1.27 hours ago, he'd been leaking blood all over sick bay the entire time.

"You didn't think to inform me of my injury earlier, Doctor. Did you not take an oath to allow no injury, allowing me to walk about while injured…"

"Yeah yeah, I took an oath but that oath didn't say anything about getting my head torn off by a green blooded elf. "

"Doctor…It would be most illogic…"

"Don't you illogic me…you've got the entire security team traipsing around looking for atoms of a bomb… every security system is being triple checked. And they're all scared that WHEN you go over their work you will seriously injure them for missing something. Like missing limbs serious injury. Which I will then have to fix."

Spock chose not to reply but merely observe his now neatly cotton bound feet.

Bones sat down with a sigh (a best friends job was never done)

"Spock," he said steeling himself for a conversation he'd never thought he'd have (the birds and the bees for Vulcans, CMO's everywhere shudder) "Have you given any thought as to WHY you're so…emotional over this…?"

If Spock had an inkling as to where the conversation was heading, he gave no sign of it.

"Doctor McCoy I assure you that I am in complete control of my emotions, any supposed lapses of control are logically attributable to the very real fact that I have not slept nor meditated in 2.54 days."

Spock's life aboard the Enterprise had taught him the importance of half-truths. Nothing he had said in that sentence was incorrect. And truthfully a great deal of the fault in his 'lapses' lay in the exhausted disorganized state of his mind. (Most of the fault however was born from an accidental Mind-meld and a certain incorrigible captain.)

McCoy grew up in Georgia. He could smell bullshit a mile away. (Even Vulcan bullshit, whose sent was hard to catch.)

"Mmhumm.." He said his eyebrow rising high enough to rival Spock's.

"So, let's just say I believe that, wouldn't that just tell us that deep under all that bullshit you call control, that you're very worried about Jim?"

Spock didn't reply (Because anything other then yes would be a flat out lie) but his eyes traveled to the sleeping form of his Captain. Considering the question Spock's reply was slow and anything but direct.

"Perhaps doctor, but even if such considerations are present, there is little to be done about it."

McCoy was going to kick them both in the teeth. Here was the Hobgoblin, so torn up about nearly losing Kirk, that he was practically admitting he was in love. But more pathetically saying he wasn't going to do anything about it.

McCoy had half a mind to yell at Spock, but one look told him he couldn't. Spock's perfect posture and composure were gone, raw emotions were dancing just beneath coal black eyes and a perfectly blank face.

"Have you ever considered…I donna know…just talking to him."

"What do you purpose that I tell him?" Spock snapped turning back to McCoy. "That I am possibly emotionally compromised?…No, meditation and rest are all that I require to return to my highest efficiency."

Spock's face turned back to Jim and McCoy recognized stubborn when he saw it (he was Jim's best friend after all). Deciding that 'quitting while you were ahead' was the better part of valor McCoy changed the subject.

"You guys thought about where you're gonna stay now…that your rooms have been 'rendered useless'. "

Spock raised an eyebrow. He actually hadn't thought of that (yet another example of how his reasoning started to fail him when Jim was involved).

"Tell you what…I can't have you guys stay here, Jim would never get any sleep, so if you guys don't mind bunking up I can find you some where to sleep in the guest quarters, normally you'd still be able to get your own room but Sulu's scientists have set up shop in most of them and the rest are being used by Scotty as blue print display and storage."

"Why does Mr. Scott require 'blue print display' why doesn't he use his pad? "

McCoy snorted "Scotty doesn't trust the programmed blue prints further then he can throw them. The data ones are based on how a star-ship is theoretically put together, there's a reason he uses the paper models, computer models get changed the building process gets shifted half way through and parts that supposedly don't matter get covered up and left out of the computer version…

they start building a part then cover it up, Scotty went back to the records on Jim's suggestion yesterday and he's already found two previously unmentioned rooms. According to him it's likely they covered something important by accident, but then again they might not have…either way. You and he need sleep. In fact for the next 48 hours consider yourselves relieved of duty until we get another emergency."

Spock nodded taking time to absorb this new information. He decided that he really was in need of sleep when he found himself with the good doctors choice of wording…

(Until we get another emergency indeed. )

Jim felt warm.

It was the first thought in his mind. Warm.

And it was a welcome feeling. After spending sooo much time in the cold, the warmth was like a breath of air to a drowning man. But with the warmth came the memories.

Flashes of empty nights and distant screams and not so distant gunfire.

He remembered running. Running in the freezing air. Running until his lungs burned while his limbs went numb. But he relished the burn, because it meant life, living, not dead yet. And on the edge of the world he screamed, for the despair, for the rage, for the fear, for the burn that was life, for still living.

Spock had only just started to empty his mind when he heard the whimper.

Surprised by the sound he opened his eyes and peered towards the bed, where Jim lay sleeping. Jim's brow was furrowed and he was sweating more then was warranted. Clearly his sleep was troubled but before he could decide upon the logical course of action his decision was made for him.

Jim screamed.

It wasn't the usual human scream, a high whine laced with fear, No this scream was pure animal. It radiated fear and rage and it was a sound that a sleeping man should have been incapable of making.

Spock leapt to his feet and touched Jim's shoulder to shake him and wake him from his nightmare but instead he found himself overwhelmed for a second time by the pure power of Jim's mind.

Cold.

Ripping his hand a way Spock panted and shivered from a cold he knew not to be there.

Jim woke to the feeling of burning.

The burning of his arm where hands made of fire had touched.

Gasping he threw himself out of bed landing gracelessly on the floor. He looked up to Spock who stood over him, holding his hand to his chest as if he too had been burned.

Blinking blindly Jim finally understood what had happened. Someone had put a bomb in his room. The thought sent ice trickling down his spine and he shivered again.

"Captain, are you well?" Spock's solid voice broke the tense silence.

Jim looked up and for a moment his blue eyes were coated in ice. But even as Spock watched Jim's eyes melted and tears filled the corners of his eyes but they were tears he would not shed.

After a moment of silence (which Jim used to compose himself and Spock used to reign in his emotions) Jim let out a long sigh, the kind only the truly burdened are able to do.

"No Spock I'm not."

"In fact, I'm about as far from 'well' as I've been in a long time. Some one just tried to kill me and they didn't care if they caught you if the cross fire. I damn angry, Spock. My ship is stranded, over heating and stuck in a bubble that seems to have eaten us. What part of that fits in the definition of Fine to you?"

"Well, Sir as fine has variable definitions…"

"Spock shut the Fuck up and know that if you call me sir, or Captain one more time I will court marshal you."

Spock thought about replying but Jim had told him to shut up…and watching Jim redden with anger was some how hypnotic. (he couldn't help watching Kirk's sweat run in rivulets down his chest.)

Jim sighed and rubbed his temples. (he was still sitting on the floor and the lack of dignity was not lost on him)

He tried to put up a good front, and he really didn't believe in no-win scenarios but sometimes it was hard. He got stressed. He had doubts (despite what some thought and he occasionally said he was only human.) and it was hard to focus with all this heat. (yeah, if you haven't guessed, serious M coming up)

Jim opened his eyes his decision made.

One problem at a time.

And right this moment one thing was consuming his mind.

One thing was distracting him.

One thing he knew, would make him feel better.

One problem he could solve right now.

One problem solved that would let him focus, if only for a while.

Spock watched as something within Jim changed. (he couldn't look away). He knew logically that nothing had changed, Jim was still sitting on the floor his gaze fixed on Spock but some how his blue eyes seemed to burn. The look, (if that was what it should be called) sent his pulse racing and for what seemed like eternity the two of them just stared.

Then Jim shivered. A whole body shiver both subtle and profound and with a move that reminded Spock of the adjectives liquid and grace, Kirk was suddenly standing. Spock wanted to leave, (really… he did, why don't people ever believe me?) but he couldn't, wouldn't. Like a bird in the gaze of serpent he was frozen.

"Spock," Jim said slowly as he stepped ever closer, "We have another problem."

His voice was smooth, low, seductive.

And Spock tried not to step back, with as much dignity and control as he could muster he managed to articulate a response. "And what would that problem be, Captain?"

Jim groaned and if it was from pleasure or pain it was impossible to tell. Taking the final step forward Jim put his hands to either side of the wall that Spock's careful retreat had finally pinned him against. Jim leaned forward to breathe in Spock's scent.

He smelled like desert and wind and warmth and a whole lot of things whose combined scent was like a drug overwhelming Jim's thoughts with simple intoxicating pleasure.

"Spock," he said again drawing out the name, but this time he whispered it into a gracefully pointed ear.

Spock shivered. "Captain?" he whispered back but that was the wrong, (or perhaps the very right) thing to say.

Without thinking Jim groaned. "My name is Jim, Spock." and without giving Spock a chance to respond he licked Spock's ear from the bottom lobe to the tip of the delicious point. Without warning, faster then the space of a breath Spock was suddenly moving.

Grabbing Kirk's wrists Spock shoved his Captain against the wall, pinning his hands just above Jim's head and tired (while still pining Jim) to put as much space between their bodies as possible. Jim hit the wall with a grunt and a small whine. He wanted to be closer not farther, he needed Spock to touch, to feel what had passed between them before.

Spock was panting. Lust. He just couldn't get away from it…from Jim. From the need pulsing just beneath his own skin. Jim's mind, it was pushing and pulling and Spock was starting to lose track of whose emotions were whose, where these…feelings were coming from. "Captain this is not a wise course of action."

Jim let out a soft chuckle…"Spock, this is the 'only' course of action…you want it right? You feel it, because I do Spock, I felt it when our minds touched, and I know what I want. Do you know what I want?" Jim leaned in, and Spock felt himself shudder as electric blue and coal black met. He feel the tenuous grasp he had on his control slipping.

"Captain, this…"

"Jim it's Jim….you have to call me Jim when you do this to me." Jim practically pleaded, writhing in Spock's grasp. Spock watched Jim's half hearted struggle and found logic in his argument. Why resist when what he desired stood offering it's self to him? Where was the logic in denying his desire to taste those beautiful lips?

"What is you want…Jim?"

"You. You and your cock and your mouth and your hands…" Jim could have gone on, would have gone on. But Spock was done. Done resisting, the allure of Jim's scent, the appeal of his lips, the all consuming need he felt for Jim's mind. So Spock interrupted him the only way he knew how. With a soul sucking mind numbing kiss.

Jim wasn't sure why Spock was such a good kisser. Or why his knees were starting to weaken or why…really he wasn't sure of much of anything. He couldn't focus or think, the lips on his melted his mind and all he could do was feel.

Feel the texture of Spock's rough and tingling tongue, feel the steel hands that pinned him to the wall even as he strained closer, feel his arousal growing and straining against his suddenly overly tight shorts.

The heat in him was rising. Spock felt it. Like a serpent crawling it's way out of his stomach. His blood was boiling and his instincts were raging. The beast he felt shifting earlier was roaring to life. The ..was sliding through him until his thoughts were pulsing in time with the beat of his heart.

Breaking the connection Spock gave into temptation, leaning in he tasted Jim's throat.

Jim moaned. Tilting his neck back to give Spock the access he craved. Jim was starting to feel it. That heat he had felt the last time they touched. When their minds had touched. And he wanted more. Needed more.

Desperately he tried to loosen Spock's grip, to get closer to the hot body that was still too far away, but Spock's grip was like iron. At his struggles Spock let out a low growl that traveled up Jim's spin and then straight to his groin.

"Spock…please." Jim's voice was rough and high. Thrusting forward, he tried to convey with his body what he couldn't seem to force from his swollen lips.

Spock nearly chuckled at the wonton display. He knew what Jim wanted he could feel it in his blood. Forcefully Spock slid Jim's arms above his head, pinning them both with his left hand, his right hand trailed down Jim's bare chest. Shivering, Jim whimpered as Spock leaned in and started sucking his ear, pressing their bodies into glorious full contact.

"Spock…please…no more teasing, just get it over with." Jim moaned.

Letting his hand slid lower he came into contact with a hard bulge, Jim let loose a desperate sound, before biting his lip trying desperately to silence the rising scream. Spock smirked into Jim's ear before returning to capture his mouth and suck on the tender lip.

"As you wish, Captain." bringing his hand higher Spock grabbed the offending material and tore it. Never had Jim been so turned on in his life. Pinned to the wall and writhing in the grasp of the strongest, handsomest, most mind blowing man he'd ever met.

Spock took a moment to appreciate his exotic, erotic lover's glorious appearance. Contrary to popular belief Spock wasn't a virgin but none of his previous lover's had ever made him feel like Jim did. Jim who was in his grasp offering everything he'd ever wanted. Those beautiful blue eyes blown so wide only the slimmest ring of blue surrounded them, with lips like an angel and the most sinful body he'd ever seen.

Releasing Jim's arms he dived closer pulling one of Jim's leg over his hip as he caressed Jim's begging length. Touching, stroking, tugging. It was all Jim could take, some how he was growing harder and it was starting to become painful. But at least Spock had released his arms. Arms that would have sexy as hell brusies on their wrists.

With his newly freed hands Jim locked his arms around Spock's neck pulling him closer for a kiss. Not as clean as the first but passionate and sloppy and full of warring tongues. Some where in the back of Jim's mind he marvled at the soft silky feel of Spock's hair, and the interesting purrs that rumbled in Spock's chest each time Jim touched his ears.

While their tongues dueled, Spock shoved Jim's leg higher and tugged his pants down kicking them into places unknown. The motion brought their hard lengths into contact and Jim had never been so glad to have Spock supporting him because his legs had some how turned into jello. It might have had something to do with the heat, and the warm moisture that was starting to drip from his aching hard on.

"Spock…" Jim panted tearing himself from the warmth of Spock's mouth. "Spock, we need…" But Jim's voice failed him as Spock's firm grip surrounded his length again sliding them together. It was like someone had stuck his finger in an electric outlet. (well, maybe not his fingers…).

"Jim…My species have self-lubricating erections but this will still…not be easy for you, there may be some pain…" Jim wanted to scream, he wanted to moan, but most of all he wanted Spock to fuck him fucking sensless. But he was having trouble articulating his views on the subject of pain and pleasure (namely that the two mixed very well under the right circumstances ) so instead he grabbed Spock's fingers and started to suck.

Spock shuddered. Jim might not know a lot about Vulcan physiology but he had the most talented tongue in several galaxies.

Pulling his fingers from Jim's mouth before he forgot why he was should, he pulled Jim's leg a little higher before circling the ring of muscle. Jim whimpered as Spock pushed in and let out a soft scream as he felt the burn.

Just a second just another second, it was almost to much but the burn was welcome and the in and out and suddenly Jim was on fire in a different way. Spock flexed his fingers and felt Jim stiffened. The beast in his chest roared with the fresh taste of Victory. and need. and lust. and having.

Leaning in he gently kissed Jim's ear and asked "Do you like that Jim?"

Jim groaned again. This was taking too long. Swinging his other leg up he wrapped both legs around Spock's waste, locking his legs behind him. If Spock had been human Jim's sudden movement might have caused him to fall or falter, but Spock was stronger then the average person, and Jim's need was making him smile in satisfaction. Slipping in a third finger Spock began stretching Jim again, but as previously demonstrated Jim was short on patience. Thrusting to meet those fingers was difficult while pinned to a wall, but Jim was never one to give up just because something was 'difficult'.

Spock's mental barriers were weakening again, Jim's need and impatience was leaking through. If he had been less distracted he might have been concerned with 'just how easily' Jim's mind over-whelmed his, later he would meditate on it later, but right now…well right now he had something better to do.

Jim let loose another gasp as those fingers, those lovely, beautiful, world-defining fingers disappeared. But Jim wasn't left empty and alone for long.

Spock tried for control, really he did. But Jim didn't seem to want control. Thrusting in with one smooth push, sent Jim's vocal responses into overdrive. (Spock found himself growing fonder and fonder of those sounds)

Jim was so full of burning hot green alien cock that he felt sure that he was going to explode, but for some reason he really didn't mind. This, this is what he'd want for longer then he'd even known what he wanted and now that he had it he was reluctant to let Spock pull out.

Spock almost couldn't pull back, from the tight grip of Jim's perfect ass. The beast was roaring it's pleasure, he finally had what he'd always desired, the only thing that justified leaving was returning, pounding hard back into that perfect tight ass, where he'd always belonged.

The rhythm was rough. Spock abandoned control but Jim didn't mind. Fast and hot and passionate and full of the need and lust that had been haunting their dreams. Spock thrust in and out again, and Jim knew that there would be brusies, that he wouldn't be able to walk tomorrow. But he found the idea intoxicating, his dick was so hard that the pain was starting to make him see double.

"Spock…(thrust)…ple…ease (nibble)…mor…uhhh!" Spock was starting to think that Jim didn't really ever need to speak in full sentences again. Then Jim let out a strangled cry and it was clear that Spock had hit the jackpot. Half desperately Jim reached to stroke himself, to releave some...any of the pressure, the pain, the pleasure, but a deep growl from Spock stopped him in his track. (Jim was going to a hard on whenever Spock growled if he kept this up)

"Jim…So close…" Jim couldn't respond with anything other then a low groan of understanding…"Jim may…May I?" Jim wasn't sure what he was asking until he felt boiling hot fingers press against his forehead. Unable to speak he nodded.

Spock took the nod for what it was and began " My mind to your mind …'my thoughts…" And then there was nothing. He had meant for the meld to be shallow. But it seemed their minds had other plans because in an instant, they weren't Captain and First officer, they weren't Jim and Spock they were one mind in two bodies. Two halves of one whole.

Jim had never come so hard in his life. There were no words, no one had even touched his cock but as he started to 'wake', he felt the sticky residue on his chest. Somewhere in this the two of them had slid to the floor.

He wanted to say something. But he wasn't sure what someone was suppose to say after loosing their minds in the most addictive way he'd felt or head of. He wasn't even sure his mind was working yet. Spock's mind however was already racing. And an unfamiliar sense of fear and longing was working it's way through his mind. Denial and acceptance warred in his head.

Spock's face was unusually blank (meaning more bank then usual, and trust me there is such a thing), and Jim was starting to worry that Spock was already regretting his actions, but before Jim could ask before either of them could even form their thoughts into sentences a lovely voice rang out over the comm.

Jim had never been so unhappy to hear Bones' voice ever in his life. (including the time Bones had actually walked in on him with two twins…and they hadn't been anywhere near done).

"Spock is Jim awake yet, look it doesn't matter but I need to give him a second check up as soon as he is…oh and um…Some of the security footage has come through. So get yer collective asses here…soon."

Jim looked away from the com. Spock was already standing with his pants on, looking for all the world like nothing had happened.

"I must go…you will take a shower and join us shortly in the Med-bay…Then we will talk about this…"

Spock turned to go. But Jim called after him "Spock…you're not, upset right. " Jim really hoped that Spock wasn't upset, this had been the best moment of Jim's entire life and if Spock regretted it...Jim wasn't willing to face that possiblity right then.

Spock turned and if he had been human Jim would have called the look on his face one of exasperation. But when Spock spoke his voice was gentle and something about it left Jim feeling better. "Jim where is the logic in being upset about something I enjoyed emensly, however, now is not the time to discuss this. We will be rooming here for the foreseeable future. We will have more time to discuss this later…at length."

His words got the reaction he'd desired, Jim smiled. Making for the door, he heard Jim's gentle chuckle, but he didn't hear Jim's following response.

Gentle under his breathe Jim murmured "Spock…your hair…"

* * *

OKAY...so i bet you're confused now, and if you're not then all i can say is what the frel?

and SORRY about the font change, i don't know how to fix it! SORRY it's so long the next one will be a little shorter, but i wanted to make good on my pomis

PLEASE REVIEW, Spock and Jim's relation ship depends on it...(okay i lie, thier relationship is perfect but reviews make me work faster so instead of going .01 miles per hour i go .04 miles per hour...)


	4. Your a hot mess and i'm fallin' for you

So, hi! Thanks for reviewing, and if you haven't reviewed WHY, tell me anything be gushy, be mean, be what eve cause the best part is

I DON'T KNOW YOU, I HAVE NO WAY OF FINDING YOU (Seriously, I'm not even good enough at this stuff to send emails half the time)

So REVIEW TO DAY

Ok, now that I've pleaded my case,

Oh my good god, I don't know what happened to the last chapter, it was longer then the previous two combined…I guess it was cause I wanted to give you the promised Smexy times…(SO embarrassing, oh my god, I've never written anything like that and I procrastinated so much thanks to the reviewers who said they liked it!)

Any wayz this will be shorter…but not too short, just…sigh, kk

And you should totally already know what is wrong with Spock's hair cause seriously,…but just so you know there will be more smexy times, just not this chapter, probably ….and so …

I do hope that you like my little (…) commentary…it makes me smile…

SO here you are in honor of the reviewer who suggested my next title,

(SERIOUSLY give me tittles…songs involving fire, lyrics…or titles whatever…) the one and only MAZEREADER presents...

* * *

You're a hot mess and I'm lovin' it hell yes…

By the time Jim got down to med-bay (after a vary long …shower) things were all ready moving on. (and by moving on I mean moving on from crazy and straight towards insanity)

For a minute Jim did nothing but watch.

Bones was treating someone, someone who seemed to be bleeding badly (but Jim's angle wasn't that good and let's face it he's a Captain damnit, not a doctor). But Bones didn't seemed too concerned or at least nobody else was, because five or six nurse/lieutenants/ext. were running back and forth stopping to talk to Bones, holding out pads (none of which he signed ) and babbling mumbo jumbo while Bones issued orders like a champ.

For a full minute Jim watched and felt amusement and pride and a touch of concern mix in his (very suddenly) rather relaxed state of mind.

Something caught McCoy's eye because he was suddenly staring (and glaring) at Jim making motions for Jim to come closer. Something Jim was hesitant to do because the bloody gloved hands of a very mad doctor were not comforting.

Walking closer Jim stopped just far enough away to give the gurney some space, but close enough to talk to his best friend.

"What's happenin' Bones…other then that guy's internal and very invasive surgery, ya know not everyone likes having their organs man handled…"

McCoy let out a sound somewhere between a snort and a growl. (This kid was not as funny as he thought he was…) "What's up Jim, is that there have been several more explosions…"

Jim felt his heart skip a beat and his stomach drop through his shoes and possible that rushing sound in his ears was his soul leaving his body (or all his blood draining down with his stomach) and quiet suddenly Jim was shivering, cold to the core, needless to say his tentative good mood had vanished.

McCoy knew his best friend, probably better then anyone else (for the moment). Jim had never feared for his life. No, Kirk had faced death too often too young. Jim greeted the possibility of his own death more like an old friend then an old enemy.

But the one thing Jim had never faced well was the possibility of those under his protection coming to harm.

And his Crew was his to protect (the way Jim saw it anyway). Kirk had withstood many things, from the icy pits of hell to watching his crew die all around him, but it had never made facing others pain any easier.

(Well others as it relates to the innocent and those he is sworn to care for, enemies can go jump off a cliff, Jim was never into the whole sportsmanly conduct thing, war wasn't a game, lives weren't pawns and anyone who thoughts should go jump in a hole and pray he doesn't find them…)

That's why McCoy knew the look in Jim's eyes, knew that dead cold stare, and felt fear and empathetic pain mix in the back of his throat like bile. And he realized his mistake.

"Kid…Jim look no one but this idiot got hurt and he was inured trying to close a breech one of the bombs made…look at me Jim everything's fine…"

Jim took a moment to swallow. Bones was his best friend but Bones didn't lie, he didn't do sugar coated. If Bones said that everyone would be fine then it would be. And slowly his blood/soul/various internal organs found their way back to their proper place, but a sense of guilt lingered a sense of responsibility he recognized and he knew it wasn't leaving for quiet a while.

McCoy watched for a moment then turned his attention back to Lt. Majors. The man was done all he needed now was a couple rounds with the regenerator and he wouldn't even have a scar to show for his idiocy. Glancing over he caught Chapel's eye. The woman smart as she was knew what he was saying, without a word she came over and gently pulled the gurney towards the heavy duty regenerators.

"Jim, you with me?"

Jim looked at his friend, and glanced around for the guy with a gapping stomach wound. But Bones was walking away and pulling off his gloves, so (mystery of the guy with stomach issues remaining) he followed Bones to the sink.

"Yeah Bones I'm with you, so you want to give me the once over? Cause I'll tell you right now I'm feeling just fine." Remembering his earlier activities his patented grin started to return. "Yeah, doing really well, in fact I might just be on the very top of my game…let me tell you…"

McCoy heard the tone creeping into Jim's voice and one glance confirmed all suspicions (Jim is not exactly difficult to read).

"I told you… Jim I gave you fair warning about what would happen to you if you mentioned Your sex drive and that Vulcan in the same sentence and Jim I would prefer not to be disemboweled by a repressed half Vulcan."

Jim's gin had spread, but the look in McCoy's eye told Jim that he'd had enough (and Jim might not have much self-preservation but he had experience to know better then to push this.)

"So Bones…what have I missed, everyone's running around like their head's just go chopped off…"

Jim commented as McCoy shuffled him to nearby chair.

Briefly McCoy considered were to start, grabbing Jim's left leg he started checking Jim's reflexes.

"Alright, the short version is someone or someones have been placing a series of pretty much untraceable small explosives all around, your room's boom was the biggest …the weird thing is there have been like 7 or 8 of these things but nobody sees anybody put anything anywhere…the security team can't link anyone they can't find anything on the security tapes it's like the thing is invisible…

"So basically we've got nothing, and I assume we're still stuck over heating in a bubble made of sunshine?"

"That would be all we know in a nut shell…Alright you seem well enough, and Do. Not. Comment. On that statement." Jim smirked. This was great, (he could frell with Bones for months on this one encounter alone.)

"Come on, there's gonna be a staff meeting in 15."

Spock's good mood (not that he had a good mood, it was just that he was feeling rested…or maybe he just really really needed to meditate soon, or he might just be loosing his mind…what…what…what? Don't hurt me I'm just a simple author and if my characters are out of character I can't help it.)

(Back to the point) Spock's good mood lasted for all of 4.54 minutes. It ended at the this time because this was the time it took Spock to go from his new quarters (their new quarters?) to the main security office. Upon entering Spock noticed a distinctive lack of security personnel (So much for that video feed).

The security room had been bombed.

Now granted the explosion was clearly not as large the first, but the fact that there had been a second…and no one had informed him (Necks were gonna be pinched ).

"Commander Spock thank goodness I found you, there were…"

"Lt. Sanders would you care to explain why I was not informed about this most recent attack?"

The Lieutenant looked slightly taken back but had enough brain power to sense when her answer mattered.

"Uh…mm Commander…this isn't the most recent attack, there have been at least three more explosions in and around Engineering and several reports of explosion in cargo bay and beyond but the numbers and locations are as yet unconfirmed…All of this has happened within the last 10 minutes…"

"Are there any causalities?" (Spock is not without priorities)

For once Spock's expectation that everyone have all the relevant facts was not badly offended, Lt. Sanders proved herself actually competent with a prompt response. " There has only been one reported causality, he is already in Med bay Doctor McCoy is certain he will make a full recover the rest of the explosions were all located in unpopulated areas."

"Why was there no one in the security…?"

"All of us left for other emergencies, we were getting flooded…but half of the calls had no source and the other half, didn't actually have problems. I think it was a ruse to get everyone to leave the room."

Spock studied the surroundings, "A logical conclusion," As much as he didn't want to admit it Spock was seeing a pattern. "It seems that the bomb or bombers are not interested in causing casualties. As they made specific efforts to ensure no casualties, it is possible that the injury incurred upon the captain was…accidental.""Commander?"

Spock was done. This room, if it were anything like the first crime scene it would yield no clues…and it was illogical to continue a line of inquiry that would lead no where. He needed a new direction, a new strategy a new angle at which to attack this particular problem and find a solution, because Spock would find a solution, his greatest skill, his greatest talent was solving problems.

(it should be noted that if he knew, Kirk would argue that Spock defiantly had a better skill set that lay no where near problem solving and had a lot to do with his tongue but that is neither here nor there.)

"Gather all relevant personnel, the heads of all departments, there is going to be a mandatory meeting in 5 minutes in conference room 4-B. Are the comm systems still functioning?"

"Yes…""The please inform the bridge, Lt. Uhura of my orders, she will see that the rest is taken care of." With that Spock turned on his heal and headed for the door.

"Um sir…Commander…"

"What Lt.? I have several places I need to be and several things that need to be done now…Is there anything you need or did not understand?"

Lt. Sanders could not bare the stare of a furious Vulcan she shook her head and headed for the door. (she'd been about to mention the commander's hair, but she valued her life.)

The staff room was busy and buzzing with people when Jim and McCoy arrived. The room was packed, and every shirt of every color in the rainbow was present. Jim did a short double take. He had always seen himself as a relatively involved captain and he knew all of these people by name if not personally…but he didn't really realize just how many people there were, that were needed in running a star ship.

Well he knew but he just didn't k.n.o.w. if you understand what I'm saying.

The noise was overwhelming, and the heat was absolutely stifling.

Bones summed up his thoughts nicely when he entered just behind and said matter of factly "It's hotter then Hell and smells like something died here three days ago, good god do we really need all these people?"

"Hey, don't ask me I just work here…"

At Jim's reply Bones let out a snort making his way towards Sub commander Rayla. To talk about serious medical stuff Jim supposed.

Jim's supposing soon stopped. Rather suddenly, and (it might have had something to do with the fact that) at the same moment his mind shut down, Spock walked in. Long languid steps, he was half dressed but oozed nothing but business and purpose, so much so that the female Lieutenant he was taking to didn't even to have registered his sheer massive sex appeal.

It was perhaps the biggest turn on Jim had ever seen. (and Jim had spent a summer with a group of Orians who had very…flexible views on sexuality.)

Jim had never taken enough time to appreciate the sheer power of presence that Spock had. Sure when people thought of someone who could silence a crowd through sheer awesome charisma they thought of Kirk. Cause frankly there wasn't anyone better.

People just, instinctively noticed him. His leadership would bleed through a room and in minutes the mood of a party would attune itself to him. He simply filled a room without trying.

When he talked people listened, (whether they liked it or not was a different questioned) but he wasn't the type easily dismissed. Sure he was underestimated, and people often paid dearly for that but he evoked emotion one way or another. Other alphas instantly noticed and were threatened by him. Jim knew all this, but he'd never really noticed that Spock also had a powerful effect.

Spock's wasn't an emotional presence at least not in the sense that Jim's was. But he was a force of nature, and man who commanded instant respect, looking at him you knew he was the man to ask if you had a question because. He. Had. The . Answer. Period. (and if he didn't either the question was stupid or you were).

When he entered, the room's volume suddenly dropped. Not out of fear but out of respect.

His 'charisma' was like a potent focusing agent for all those around him, he made everyone think to stand up and pay a-fucking attention because the stupid were not tolerated. But have the correct information provided such an intense feeling of satisfaction of a job well done.

Jim made people want to please him.

He evoked loyalty and affection, people believed in him in his plan and they would do their damnedest to see happen but Spock…it was like he evoked a person's own self worth, different but just as potent he made someone who was ready and prepared feel useful , like they had measured up to an impossible standard or beaten an un-winnable test. Jim got devotion, Spock commanded respect.

Jim's strength flowed throughout the room, his presence made a man better then he was, Spock's strength was like steel centering a room grounding it's people, his presence made a man aware of his own value.

It intrigued Kirk, this sudden understanding. And it made him vaguely consider getting down on his knees right there and then and worshiping whatever god it was that had seen fit to place Spock in his life.

Spock was his perfect balance. Where Jim was emotional he was reasonable, where Jim used intuition Spock used facts where Jim was everything gray Spock was black and white. He could not name one thing about Spock that could be enhanced or needed changing. Spock was everything Jim needed everything he wanted…

Then Jim's stomach gave the smallest of lurches.

He had it bad…

Really fucking bad, and the lurch was the last of his fear, his fear that Spock wouldn't love him as much as he loved Spock, his fear they would soon die, that all of this would go up in smoke.

But it was a small lurch…because James T-fucking Kirk did not believe in impossible, in fact he did the impossible all the time.

So fuck fate and fuck chance and fuck the heat and fuck being stranded. And fuck the fact that this realization qualified as the worst timed realization in all of god-damn history. James Tiberius Kirk would win over his Vulcan and he would save the day.

And he would make it look easy

It was what he did.

(It didn't escape his notice that Spock hadn't yet been told about his hair…but that was alright…He as a hot mess…and Jim has totally fallen for him.)

Spock walked in and immediately knew that his Captain was in the room. It couldn't have escaped his notice…Jim's smell was just soo…so and even though the tried to fight it, when he wasn't concentrating his thoughts strayed back to his captain.

And then there was the 'natural parting of the tides' effect. Humans Spock had noticed just seemed to sense superiority in one another, even if they didn't realize it themselves their body language naturally differed to their viewed 'superior'. Jim was a lone and in a corner and even though he wasn't saying anything he was having an impact.

Then Spock noticed the look in Jim's eyes.

It wasn't quiet like anything he'd seen before, there was the glow of determination, the dilation of arousal (and how not appropriate that was at the moment) and the predatorily angling Spock had seen before when Jim had been about to watch one of his plans come to a violent and often times life/universe/federation changing fruition. Like a tiger watching and waiting.

Before Spock could ponder/analyze/ dissect the hidden meaning behind that look he needed to get this meeting under way. He waited long enough for his Captain to make his way towards him.

"Yo…,my peps listen up, our resident master mind needs to speak, you need to listen and I need answers and we all need solutions and couple of hours of sleep and a nice could pinot-collate, "

There was a soft chuckle and the room was silent. (During the chuckle Spock raised an eyebrow at Kirk translating to: What the hell? And Kirk shrugged back a reply that said: Meh…why not…it worked didn't it?")

"Lt. Commander Scott would please explain the reasoning behind the locations of the bombings…" Kirk gave a mildly confused look, apparently Spock had been busy talking to people.

"aye, Commander, it seems tha' all the bombs have been placed in spots not actually on the official ship blue prints…I would na of noticed it had I na already been looking at the hard copies…the explosive in the captain's quarters was in a small hidden and sealed duck way…the same for the security head quarters…otha bombs were placed in hidden rooms and closed venting….'s why it did so little damage for the most part…aft'ta the first bombin' the subsequent explosions were all around the same time…and they all used a smaller amount…"

"Damage to the ship?" Jim spoke up, concern rising, maybe no one got hurt but that didn't mean his pride and joy of a lady didn't deserve a little TLC.

Scotty nodded, approving his Captain's question "She'll be fine, Capt'n those parts were all sealed on account tha' they weren't really important…we mostly juz got to worry about the debris and there was a small breech of the hull, got that more or less patched up and ready to go…"

"Any further information as to why someone is placing these bombs or how they are able to circumvent Enterprise security?"

'Cupcake' just shook his head, but Scotty touched his chin and mused aloud. "It is possible tha' these bombin's have something to do with the heating problems…if the heating problem is in one of those covered over areas…can't be certain…"

Spock's eyebrows drew together but it was Jim who responded. "That isn't a bad thought Scotty…but there isn't enough proof yet…I hate to say it but at this point it's bomber's move, the best we can do is sit tight and be vigilant…now I know that the security cameras seem incapable of getting a picture of this guy…or guys so we're switching to sweeps…

Three to a group, very short we don't want anyone getting over heated or jumpy in the less well lit corridors phasers on stun only…don't want to accidentally hurt any of the other staff…comm contact at all times…

It doesn't seem like this bomber is out to hurt us…at least not yet most of the injuries were accidental but stay awake people try to notice if something is out of place or missing…do we even know what those explosives were made of?

(There was a collective no) Then I want people to start coming up with possibilities…inventory personnel …Lt. Maves…go over every last paperclip…we need to know if this stuff is being made from our own supplies… look, I know it's late…so everyone get some sleep first I'm not kidding…Bones this means you, we need some rest, the heat, the stress it's getting to us and I need my team to be on the top of their game tomorrow…alright "

Jim glanced as Spock who nodded.

"Alright everyone dismissed and pass the message to those under you command…"

The room emptied out slowly, Bones and Nyota were the last to leave.

"Captain, we've been getting calls from command. How much of this do you want them to know about right now?" Kirk hadn't been expecting the question (or even the problem) but Nyota had a point.

But before Jim's heat dulled mind could think of a reply Spock had him covered, responding,

"Nyota, tell them only that we are suffering from additional internal problems, allow them to assume whatever conclusion they choose to draw from this, tell them little else and that we may need to limit contact with them to minimize computer and therefore heat activity…Command could provide little to no assistance at this juncture at best and could compromise the likelihood of success at worst. "

Nyota nodded, then threw a glance at Jim that went back to Spock that Jim was certain had nothing to do with that all too female ability to sense sexual tension like a Yoda could sense a disturbance in the force

(YEAH I WENT THERE of course in my au star wars exists…as a sci-fi fic from the 20th century …. And Jim personal thinks the idea of space samurai is cool…but totally unrealistic, however he has plans in the works with Scotty, Checkov and Sulu to make a light saber…of course Spock does not know about this dangerous experiment…)

Of course Jim is very good at denial when he wants to be…

So the room emptied and Spock was left standing in a room with his Captain, who still smelled like sex and like him…(Spock was starting to believe Jim should always smell like that…but just for Spock…nobody else should be allowed access to that indescribable scent. )

Then Jim turned his eyes light blue with an innocent kind of joy that did not make, (note the phrase did not make, and no you should not replace that phrase with made, cause that would be wrong…;) ) Spock's stomach flip and squirm with a pleasure he'd never felt before.

"That wasn't so bad…other then the fact we are farther from getting out of this mess then ever…Hey did I ever mention how sex it is when you go all 'business time' seriously…hot."

And then Jim wasn't talking anymore because Spock had him pinned to a wall, again.

"Baby…" Jim murmured as began rutting himself on Spock's nearby convenient really-really sex firm and wonderful thigh. "We are gonna half to talk about you and your need to pin me against a wall…"

Spock let out a hash low growl, and began nibbling on Jim's left ear.

"Maybe another time then…hum?" Spock's only response was to shove his leg harder against the now clearly leaking length of Jim's cock.

Jim saw stars and for a moment he though his legs would give out. Not that it really mattered now, Spock had his whole body pinned to this wall and goddamn if it wasn't hottest sweetest…

And then Spock growled again snapping Jim back to the present. His Vulcan was currently eyeing his shorts like they were the most offensive thing he'd ever seen and it didn't take a genius to figure out what was running through his mind.

"Babe…Spock, please, we need to walk out of here and we'll have a harder time not attracting unwanted attention if neither of us has pants left…"

Spock let out the smallest of chuckles his hand finding it it's way down…down…down the front of Jim's pants where he wrapped his hand around Jim's weeping cock. Tugging everso gently he purred into one ear "You do have a point Captain…." Jim let out yelp that might have also been a whimper before replying.

"Fuckin'…oh please, God…Spock you have to…have to call me Jim…or …or I'll get an erection every time you all me Captain on the bridge and I'm….oh ooouh ney…not ..responsible…for yes again…again.."

Spock smiled, who needed a lover that could speak…Spock much preferred this melted gasping cussing beauty. Leaning in again Spock nibble Jim's shoulder and then bit.

The pain was instant. The pleasure was flowing and slow. Jim wasn't sure what mark he'd have their tomorrow but god damn.

Spock could feel it now, Jim's mind pressing on the edges of his mind. But this time there was no doubt or uncertainty, not from either of them and rather then gripping at long lost control Spock reveled in the burn, falling smoothly into the beast that had come to live in his chest. The beast that demanded and needed and was so much more then mere human emotion.

Spock could sense it, Jim's surrendering need and it was all he could do to remember Jim's words, something about propriety…no matter for the moment he contented himself, feasting upon Jim's succulent neck and pressing his rising need into the firm hip of his new lover.

"God yes baby…nuh…Here …here I was wondering how the Fuckin'hell…how I was gonna seduce you…make you promises and offers you couldn't refuse buy you're already…ahuh 6 steps ahead…like fuckin usu…enuh usual…"

"And what promises were you going to make Jim? " Spock asked ideally his voice nearly as normal as it was on the bridge but softer and more…forbidden.

Jim whimpered again as Spock started to peel his shorts off, the curse'd things were to tight and sticky and sweaty and Jim's hard as fucking diamonds cock kept fucking catching on it.

"Oh the usual that I would show you …no…oh…the best fucking time of you're life…I'd worship your..BO..dy you're mind…you're cock…please" Spock had finally gotten Jim's shorts down to his ankles and though Jim was bucking an writhing and begging him he felt no inclination to hurry. Instead he very slowly spread the drips of pre come from the tip of Jim's cock to the base, playing with the slit as he did.

"Continue Jim…"

Now Jim loved to talk during sex, he couldn't help it, couldn't stop it, couldn't shut up but never had it felt like his partner was so very interested in it…so very aware and Jesus Christ on a cracker if Spock kept that up he was going to come before he'd even freed his hands.

"I was g…gunna offer, offer blow jobs…really really good ones…you know I got compliments all the time back…" Jim was silenced with a rough demanding kiss…and was Spock's tongue rough or was that just Jim's …awesome imagination…

Spock liked the idea of what terrain's term 'a blow job' also known as oral sex the idea of those soft. Abused lips on his swollen straining cock was so very appealing, but Spock did not want to hear about the others who had gotten the same treatment.

As far as Spock was concerned James Tiberius Kirk was now his. End of story….he just didn't know it yet.

But what Spock didn't know was that Jim did know it…he was a goner for Spock from the beginning who didn't have a prayer…not that he'd pray other wise…or at all…in fact Jim was thinking of switching religions…the religion of 'Spock worship' sound good to anyone?

Jim pulled back from the kiss panting for breath. "Please…babe…let me …go down on you, let me taste you…please please. Please" and Jim's mantra continued for all of 4 seconds because Spock let go of Jim's hands and used his own hands to prop himself against the wall.

Now free Jim's mouth formed the most wicked of smirks. Sliding his arms down to the edge of Spock's waste band he played there for a while, occasionally brushing against that inviting bulge.

Then Spock growled….and Jim confirmed that he had acquired a new kink…His cock jumped in pleasure at the sound. Sliding down the wall, Jim tugged Spock's pants down with him, freeing that green tinted piece of eye candy.

Jim lowered until he was level, then kneeling he dove down on Spock's cock like it was desert. Spock had known it would be good, those angel lips that devil's tongue but the feel of Jim's throat around him…it was nearly more then he could bare. Jim hadn't waited hadn't worked up to it…and really he was glad he hadn't…Vulcan cum- sugar based….

Pulling back he licked from base to tip. Then played with the slit. Spock's hands travel down and pinned Jim's head stopping his movement.

"What's the matter babe…?" Jim looked up confused but the look in Spock's eye spoke volumes. Smirking at the challenge Jim worked to get the angle just right, bracing one hand on Spock's hip and the other on his own burning need.

Spock started slowly, fucking himself in Jim's mouth. He didn't want to hurt Jim…but the feel of Jim's voice vibrating on his cock….

Sound was filling the room and Jim couldn't tell were it was coming from and he didn't care all he cared about was the feel of Spock's dick and the taste of the strangely delicious lubricant and the feel of his own hand against himself and then it hit like magma thrown on an open fire, it went from 0 to 60 in nothing flat.

The mind meld was incomplete but powerful and for the space of seconds everything was doubled, and it felt Jim was having his own dick sucked dry and that his hip was being held hard enough to bruise.

Then it was nothing but the brightest white because Jim came first and Spock could feel it and then he came and Jim was feeling it all over.

This time Jim was already leaning against the wall but Spock slowly slid into his sticky arms. For a while they were quiet and Jim reveled in his post orgasmic glory and Spock enjoyed Jim's enjoyment.

"God…that was good…" Spock did not comment but merely flopped a little more to the side, so he wasn't crushing his lover.

After a time however he did think of something to say (and none to soon, Jim was starting to worry he'd short circuited his favorite Vulcan) "Indeed"

Many things rushed between them in that moment. Jim wanted briefly to confess his love his undying devotion, but he knew better then to scare Spock with excess emotion when they'd been dating for less then a day. Spock finally allowed himself to consider the word he'd been thinking about since that first accidental mind-meld but had tried so hard to deny.

T'hy'la…it was perhaps the only explanation… but he would not say these things because he needed to meditate and he needed to think…consider his problem…James T. Kirk and find the solution.

Both had much to say, but now was not the time. So Jim…being who he was merely ran a hand through Spock's hair.

"Spock…I don't know how you got blue slime in your hair, but it's making it stick up at all kinds of weird ass angles…"

Spock considered the words, and considered Jim's grin and considered the several strange reactions he'd gotten throughout the day…

"Perhaps I am in need of a shower…" He replied as enigmatically as possible.

Jim's eyes turned sharp again and it was clear his thoughts had gone right to the gutter down the drain and were well on their way to places best unmentioned when he responded…

"Hell yes…I love the way you think"

* * *

KK so I lied about the smut…I couldn't resist consider it your reward for waiting so patiently…initially kirk was going to drag spock to a supply closet but…they didn't even make it that far….

And Kirk really wanted to give a blow Job cause with lips like those he has to have an oral complex…

Any way….

Confused on the plot yet…you sure as hell should be…

I love the fact nobodies wearing cloths so it's like already naked for smexy times…

SO like it says above review…please I'll try to do better next time…

Also in my defense I finished this at 2 in the morning….yeah I need more discipline….

Any way I love you all ….REVIEW and good night…seriously I'm beat.


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